Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he regrets not running for president “every day,” but he believes it was ultimately the right decision for his family. He also seemed to forget about Martin O’Malley, saying Democrats had “two good candidates” for president.
The comments came in an interview with NBC affiliate WVIT in Hartford, Connecticut, Wednesday as Biden sat down with local television stations to promote the Obama administration’s new executive orders on gun control.
The vice president pursued a lengthy and emotional decision process last year as he debated whether to run for president. It came as he publicly grieved the death of his son, Beau, last summer. The vice president, who had run for president twice before, decided not to run after blowing through several self-imposed deadlines and pushing back his decision several times. He has not yet endorsed a candidate.
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Asked Wednesday if he regrets the decision, Biden replied, “Sure, I regret it every day, but it was the right decision for my family and for me.”
He continued by saying he plans on “staying deeply involved” in the process. “We’ve got two good candidates,” he said.
He was referring to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, apparently forgetting O’Malley, who has struggled to escape single digits in polls despite dogged campaigning in Iowa.
Biden also said that the Democratic primary has so far proceeded as he expected. “There is real robust debate between Hillary and Bernie, as there would have been if I had gotten in the race,” he said.
The vice president added that he was pleased “there have been no personal attacks” between the Democrats. “It’s not a bunch of serendipity out there,” he added.
