Joe Biden 2020: Democratic Party Vice President Wants To Unseat Donald Trump

In a conversation with reporters on Capitol Hill Monday night, Vice President Joe Biden suggested that he might consider running for president in 2020.

“I am going to run in 2020 for president. What the hell man, anyway. I’m going to announce now,” he said according to the Washington Post, prompting another reporter to ask if he was joking. In response, he said, “I’m not committing not to run. I’m not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago fate has a strange way of intervening.”

Biden also commented on his work in the senate. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time here in the Senate. It’s a great feeling to come back. I love this place,” he said.

Earlier this year, Biden also affirmed that he had not ruled out the possibility of a 2020 presidential run. While talking to George Stephanopoulos on ABC News, Biden responded to a 2020 inquiry with “I don’t plan on that. But, you know, I’ve learned a long time ago, you don’t say anything for absolutely certain.”

Biden had been a popular name for the Democratic nomination last year before the primaries; many Democratic primary polls had him earning between 15 and 20 percent of potential voters’ support before he officially announced that he was not running, making him a popular candidate before he even entered the race.

Back then, however, the political climate predicted a surefire Hillary Clinton presidency, and Biden’s candidacy was seen as a challenge to the surefire Democratic contender. Furthermore, at the time Biden was still grappling with the death of his son Beau Biden, who passed away in May of brain cancer.

“The (grieving) process doesn’t respect or much care about things like filing deadlines or debates and primaries and caucuses,” Biden said in October last year when he announced he would not run for president in 2016. He had reportedly spent months grappling with the decision, according to the L.A. Times, and attempting to gauge whether enough time had passed after Beau’s death for his family to handle a campaign before deciding it was too soon.

Now that Donald Trump has won the election in a surprise upset and is poised to take office in January, however, Biden may see a greater political need to take advantage of his popularity and enter the arena in 2020 to challenge a potential Trump re-election.

If Biden were to run, he would be 78 when he takes office, which would make him the oldest president to take office to date. Donald Trump will be 74 in 2020. Ronald Reagan, the oldest president to date, was not yet 78 when he left office after two terms.

Biden’s announcement prompted an enthusiastic response on social media according to Complex, including memes and playful GIFs of Biden that have come to dominate his internet presence during his vice presidency.

Biden previously ran for president in 1988 and 2008 according to ABC News, before dropping out of the Democratic primary and rejoining the political sphere as Obama’s vice presidential pick.

Biden’s comments were made after a Senate meeting to address procedures for a biomedical research bill targeting cancer.

Last year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell renamed portions of the bill after Biden’s son following Beau’s battle with cancer. “Today, the Senate would like to specifically acknowledge (Biden’s) efforts to help Americans struggling with cancer,” McConnell said when the decision was announced. “He’s known the cruel toll this disease can take. But he hasn’t let it defeat him. He’s chosen to fight back. He’s taken a leading role. And the Senate will soon pass the 21st Century Cures Act as a testament to his tremendous effort.”

Biden was reportedly near tears during the proceeding, and allowed the bill to be renamed “without objection.”

[Featured Image by Sait Serkan Gurbuz/AP Images]