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Biden Calls Michelle Obama 'Finest First Lady in History,' Doesn't Mention Hillary

January 12, 2017

Vice President Joe Biden told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Thursday that Michelle Obama is the "finest first lady in history," leaving out any mention of Hillary Clinton.

Mitchell conducted a wide-ranging interview with the outgoing vice president on her show, and the conversation at one point turned to the current first lady.

"And Michelle–I think Michelle is the finest first lady in history," Biden said.

"I mean in history," Biden repeated. "There has been wonderful first ladies. But, she is so smart. She is so, so decent, and she is so inclusive."

He said that Obama encompasses all that is good in the United States.

"I mean, I can't–looking at her, and the whole world looks at her and says, she conveys such a–she conveys America," he said. "So, it's been–I'm going on too much. But, I really–I don't like them, I love them, and it's a mutual thing."

Biden noticeably did not make any mention of Hillary Clinton, who was first lady from January 1993 to January 2001, when her husband Bill Clinton was president.

Biden supported Clinton during her failed 2016 presidential bid, even though his support sometimes appeared to do more harm than good.

During a campaign rally in October, Biden acknowledged to the crowd that he was fully aware that not everyone in the crowd liked Clinton.

He also said during the campaign that he thought he could beat Clinton if he ran for president.

Thursday's interview with Mitchell was not the first time that Biden accidentally took a shot at Clinton. In October 2015, Biden said that if he did not move on from his job, he would be "demoted" to secretary of state, the Washington Free Beacon reported at the time.

Vice President Joe Biden cracked a joke Tuesday that could be interpreted as a shot at Hillary Clinton.

"If I don't move, I'll be demoted to secretary of state or something like that," Biden said at a White House summit.

"That's a joke," Biden added moments later, pointing to the press corps.