Joe Biden has announced that he will not be running for President in the 2016 election. Biden made the announcement earlier today (October 20) in the White House Rose Garden alongside President Obama and Biden’s wife, Jill.
In a nearly 13-minute speech, Biden spoke of the recent death of his son, Beau:
As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I’ve said all along what I’ve said time and time again to others. It may be that that process…closes the window. I’ve concluded that it has closed.
After the family worked through their grief, the decision to launch a campaign for President was made too late to realistically win the Democratic primary.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton responded through a written statement, praising Biden’s “unyielding faith in America’s promise”. Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders also responded to Biden’s announcement, thanking him for “a lifetime of public service and for all that he has done for our nation.” Republican candidate Donald Trump responded in typical Trump fashion, by making a jab at someone else:
I think Joe Biden made correct decision for him & his family. Personally, I would rather run against Hillary because her record is so bad.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2015
Biden did not endorse any other candidate in the Democratic race, but did vow to “not be silent” during the campaign. The remainder of his speech sounded less like a confirmation of what many had already suspected and more like a campaign speech he’ll never give. Biden encouraged Democrats to stop viewing Republicans as enemies, spoke of the importance of ending income inequality, and blasted the role money plays in politics.
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