Former Vice President Joe Biden admitted on Thursday that his personal fondness of his political opponents could keep him from winning the Democratic primary if he decides to run for president in 2020.
During a speech at the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in Washington, D.C., Biden said one of his “problems” was that he likes Republicans. (RELATED: Biden: ‘I Think I’m The Most Qualified To Be President’)
Former Vice President @JoeBiden addresses U.S. Conference of Mayors (@usmayors #MayorsDC19) – LIVE on C-SPAN2 https://t.co/EhTtzMIA1Y pic.twitter.com/GgbnB6a1q3
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 24, 2019
“One of my problems, if I were to ever run for president, is that I like Republicans,” Biden said. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
The line was well received at the annual conference hosted every year in Washington, D.C., for U.S. mayors who represent a population of 30,000 or more.
While Biden has not yet decided if he plans to mount a presidential campaign, the former Vice President has been at or near the top of every Democratic primary poll, sometimes by big margins. Biden previously ran for president in 1988 and 2008.
The former right-hand man to former President Barack Obama remains popular within his party but has come under fire from the left for stumping for a Republican congressman ahead of the 2018 midterms and receiving a cool $200,000 to do it.
U.S. President Barack Obama gestures with Vice President Joe Biden after his election night victory speech in Chicago, November 6, 2012. REUTERS/Larry Downing
Biden addressed the issues on Tuesday, and also dedicated much of his speech to the importance of bipartisanship, perhaps opening a window into the type of campaign he intends to run when and if he enters the 2020 presidential race.
“The only way to get anything done is talking again,” Biden said. “There’s an article from [Michigan Republican Rep.] Fred Upton — I went out and spoke at an event, and he was there, and I praised him.”
Biden explained that the reason he spoke at the event was because Upton was supporting a bill that allocated funding intended to find a cure for cancer.
“[Upton] and three other Republicans stepped up and helped us pass it,” Biden said. “So, I acknowledged that and now I’m — I don’t know what I am.”
