President Obama Gives Joe Biden His Blessing for Bid in 2016

Posted by on Aug 25th, 2015

Vice President Joseph Biden received the blessing of President Barack Obama to make a bid of the White House in 2016, according to one senior Democrat. However, that all depends on if Biden will choose to run.

While he does not need the permission of the President, a potential presidential candidacy was one of the topics of their Monday lunch at the White House. President Obama was clear with Biden that he would not stand in the Vice President’s way or counsel him in not running a senior official said.

The office of the Vice President downplayed speculation about the political future of Biden.

It was expected that Biden would huddle at home with Bob Bauer and Anita Dunn, the team of husband and wife who have been at the side of Obama for the majority of the past decade, two people very familiar with that meeting said. Steve Ricchetti the chief of staff for Biden was expected to be there as well.

Dunn is a former communications director at the White House and Bauer is one of Obama’s longtime lawyers. They were amongst those who were invited to a meeting in Washington at the Naval Observatory.

Ted Kaufman a loyal confidant of Biden who for a short period occupied his seat in the Senate from Delaware, was amongst those who gathered Monday night to discuss how the Vice President could run if he chooses to.

Biden has of late leaned toward running, said a number of people close to him, but stressed he has yet to make of up mind.

The Monday night meeting along with his Saturday private session with Elizabeth Warren the senator from Massachusetts underscores the amount of time he will take to explore a possible run.

While a number of top Democrats already have signed onto the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, several former advisers for Clinton said they would join Biden it he were to enter the race.

Bauer and Dunn would be two high-profile additions to the Biden campaign if he were to run and could signal to the other democrats running they should join in on Biden’s effort.