Joe Biden is worried, too. Though the former vice-president previously said he’d give Trump an “even shot to do the job,†that was many months and several headaches ago. Now, he tells Stephen Colbert in another insightful conversation, time’s up. Biden says the turning point for him was Trump’s refusal to immediately condemn white nationalism after the Charlottesville protests, and that to remain silent would’ve made Biden complicit. It’s why he says he wrote an op-ed describing the “battle for the soul of this nation†and why he also won’t hold his tongue now. Asked if Trump’s legacy will be setting a dangerously low standard for that office, Biden expressed his desperate hope that Trump “will go down as the single exception in American history.†Still, he’s concerned about the irreversible long-term damage Trump will have done to the republic by undermining what are supposed to be our unalienable rights.
But to answer your burning question: No, Biden has not decided whether he’ll attempt to rescue the nation by running for president in 2020. It’s too soon after the death of his son Beau two years ago to think about making such a “fundamental change†in his life, so please, respect his space. And remember that much as you may miss Biden in the White House, you’re not the one continuously having to pick up Mike Pence’s calls for help. Let Joe vacation in peace!