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Joe Biden: 'I Would've Been the Best President'

May 11, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden told ABC's Robin Roberts on Wednesday that he would have been the best presidential choice if he'd decided to run.

"I had planned for running. It's an awful thing to say," Biden said. "I think I would've been the best president, but it was the right thing, not just for my family but for me."

Biden had mulled a presidential run against Hillary Clinton last year, sparking weeks of feverish media coverage. He ultimately decided against running for president, in part because of the death of his son, Beau Biden.

ABC reported:

Speaking with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts in an exclusive interview that aired today, Biden said he had planned to run but changed course only after his eldest son Beau died last May.

"No one should ever seek the presidency unless they're able to devote their whole heart and soul and passion into just doing that," he said. "And, Beau was my soul. I just wasn't ready to be able to do that. But, so, my one regret is my Beau's not here. I don't have any other regrets."

For months last year the question of whether Biden would run loomed over the Democratic presidential contest. Then in October he announced that he and his family were still dealing with the grief over Beau’s death and he would not seek the presidency.

Beau Biden died in May 2015 at the age of 46 after a battling brain cancer for years.

Although Biden did not formally endorse Clinton during the interview, he said that he believes she'll not only get the nomination for the Democratic Party but will, in fact, be the next president.

"I feel confident that Hillary will be the nominee, and I feel confident she’ll be the next president," he said.