Getty U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks during a campaign event on July 28, 2020.
Joe Biden previously said he would announce his selection for Vice President in early August, and despite heavy media speculation, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate has yet to say who will be his running mate in the upcoming 2020 election.
However, on August 8, a Fox News reporter tracked down Biden, 77, while he was out on a bike ride. He asked if he had at least decided on a running mate, to which Biden answered, “Yeah, I have.”
When the reporter asked the money follow-up question, “Who?” Biden had some fun with the question. He responded, “You.”
Biden, who was wearing a mask while enjoying a bike ride with friends, was obviously joking with the reporter. However, after the video went viral on Twitter, Biden’s press secretary, TJ Ducklo, made it clear that the former vice president was indeed kidding. He also noted that Biden was not approached by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, who was tagged in the viral video.
Ducklo tweeted, “Folks, this is clearly a joke. When Vice President Biden has made a decision on who his running mate will be, he will let the American people know. And can confirm, it’s not @pdoocy of @FoxNews.”
Biden has previously said that he will name his vice presidential pick before the Democratic National Convention, which is set to take place August 17 to 20.
Biden Said He’s Considering 4 Black Women as His Vice President, Among Others
Not only has Biden committed to picking a woman for his running mate to take on Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the 2020 election, but he’s considering four women of color.
“I am not committed to naming any (of the potential candidates), but the people I’ve named, and among them there are four Black women,” Biden told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on The ReidOut on July 20. Those in consideration include California Senator Kamala Harris, Florida Representative Val Demings, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Obama administration National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Calfornia Representative Karen Bass of California.
Biden said the vetting process takes a long time, and he’s not rushing into such a major decision. “It takes about six weeks and you go into everything,” Biden to Reid. “It’s like having a public physical examination. … Then, when I get all the vetting done of all the candidates, then I’m going to narrow the list, and then we’ll see. And then I’m going to have personal discussions with each of the candidates who are left and make a decision.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren & Governor Gretchen Whitmer Are Also in Contention
GettyGretchen Whitmer speaks with a reporter on August 8, 2018, in Detroit, Michigan.
According to the Associated Press, two high-ranking Michigan Democrats said that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer traveled to Delaware on August 2 to discuss her potential as a running mate. “Flight records show a chartered plane left Lansing’s Capital Region International Airport for Delaware Coastal Airport at 5:33 p.m. and returned at 11:16 p.m,” The AP reported.
GettySenator Elizabeth Warren is reportedly on Biden’s “shortlist” to be his running mate.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is also reportedly on Biden’s “shortlist” for vice president. Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic political consultant in Boston, championed Warren’s political influence. “She has more clout now with her now-famous plans than anybody, and she looks prescient in many of these cases,” Marsh said, according to WBUR. “The fact that we have now learned that Warren and Biden speak every 10 days or so certainly reinforces her clout.”
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