Joe Biden dodges 2020 presidency prospect but says he wants to spend his life 'engaged' in issues that matter

Former Vice President Joe Biden is still considering another run to take the White House in 2020, saying that he wants to spend the rest of his life “engaged in all the issues that have animated my life” during a recent stop on his current book tour.

Mr Biden said during a book stop in Vermont on Sunday that he wants to “spend as much time” as he can with his family, and that he wants to honour the commitment he made to his late son Beau before he died.

When asked his plans for the rest of his life, some in the crowd chanted “run, Joe, run!” while others piped up to say “2020”. Mr Biden, as he has frequently done, deflected.

“I want to be able to, when my life is finished, be able to say to myself that I kept my commitment to Beau, that I didn't walk away, that I stayed engaged in all the issues that have animated my life my whole life,” Mr Biden said. “I want to spend as much time as I can with my family. I have five grandchildren who adore me”.

He continued: ”I literally text or speak to every one of my grandchildren every single solitary day. Beginning, middle and end is family”.

Mr Biden is considered a top prospect to win the Democratic nomination in 2020, and to take on President Donald Trump in his reelection campaign.

The former vice president who served for eight years alongside popular former President Barack Obama has so far refused to commit to another presidential run, however. While crowds during his appearances promoting Democrats during the 2018 midterm elections frequently cheered him on to mount a bid for the White House, Mr Biden has deflected while indicating he believes the United States is at an inflection point.

Among those others who are considered top prospects for the Democratic nomination include figures like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, two potential progressive candidates who could run on the left in the Democratic primaries.

Other candidates like Representative Beto O’Rourke, New Jersey Senator Corey Booker, and California Senator Kamala Harris have also been frequently mentioned as potential candidates to take on Mr Trump in two years from now.

While Mr Biden has remained uncommitted to a 2020 run, the former vice president has claimed recently that he is the most qualified person to be president in the country.

Mr Biden has said that he expects to make a 2020 decision sometime in the coming months.