Obama Could Make An Endorsement In Primary Between Clinton, Biden
Updated at 6:30 p.m. ET with more quotes from the White House briefing.
The White House did nothing to tamp down speculation Monday that Vice President Biden might mount a presidential bid in 2016. Press Secretary Josh Earnest heaped praise on the vice president and said President Obama could endorse — even in a race between Biden and his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"I wouldn't rule out the possibility of an endorsement in the Democratic primary," Earnest said at a press briefing. He also noted Obama would vote in the March Illinois Democratic primary.
To this point, Obama has been reticent to weigh in on the Democratic presidential primary, especially if it were to become a race between Clinton and Biden.
In February on NBC's Today show, for example, NBC's Savannah Guthrie asked the president in lightning-round-style questioning, "Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden?
"I love 'em both. Good try," Obama said, looking off camera, smirking.
Rumors have been swirling that Biden is seriously considering a bid for president, as questions continue to dog Clinton about her use of a personal email server as secretary of state.
The vice president has said he would make his decision by the end of summer. Summer technically doesn't end until Sept. 22. That timeline was backed up by Earnest on Monday.
Biden and Obama had lunch together Monday, and Earnest didn't dissuade reporters from thinking that the veep's presidential ambitions might be on the menu.
"I'm going to be cautious of not going down the path describing private conversations between the president of the United States and the vice president other than to tell you that those conversations tend to be wide-ranging and they cover everything from work to family," Earnest said. "I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not you think that this decision by the vice president falls in either of those two categories."
Earnest also noted that Obama has said that naming Biden vice president was the "smartest decision he'd ever made in politics."
Earnest reiterated, "It was, it was," after a reporter followed up assuming that naming Biden his vice-presidential pick was an even better one than naming Clinton secretary of state.
Earnest did note President Obama's "appreciation, respect and admiration" for the job Clinton did as secretary of state.
But, he said, "You could make the case that there is probably no one in American politics today who has a better understanding of exactly what is required to mount a successful national presidential campaign."
As to whether Biden would get in, the White House press secretary said, "Everyone's pretty interested to find out."
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Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
When Vice President Joe Biden meets with Senator Elizabeth Warren, people start taking more bets on whether Biden will enter the presidential race. Such a meeting reportedly happened over the weekend, and as NPR's Tamara Keith reports, the possibility of a Biden candidacy creates certain challenges for the Obama White House.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Behind closed doors in the Obama White House, the possibility of a Democratic primary pitting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton against current Vice President Joe Biden is no doubt causing some heartburn. But in the briefing room where Press Secretary Josh Earnest faces reporters, there's just a whole lot of dancing going on - not literally. ABC's Jonathan Karl was the first to try to get Earnest to weigh in today.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JONATHAN KARL: How would the president deal with this if Biden actually decides to run? Here you have his current vice president against his former secretary of state.
JOSH EARNEST: Yeah, well, there's not an insignificant if in that question. And I think that's what everybody is pretty interested to find out.
KEITH: That is is Biden going to run? The vice president has said he would make his decision by the end of summer. Summer technically doesn't end until September 22. Today, the president and vice president were having lunch together, as they do almost every week. Were they talking about Biden's big decision?
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
EARNEST: I'm going to be cautious of not going down the path of describing private conversations between the president of the United States and the vice president other than to tell you that those conversations tend to be wide-ranging and they cover everything from work to family. I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not you think that this decision facing the vice president falls into either of those two categories.
KEITH: So if Biden decides to run, would the president weigh in on the cabinet member cage match?
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
EARNEST: I wouldn't rule out the possibility of an endorsement in the Democratic primary. I am confident the president will support the Democratic nominee in the general election.
KEITH: At least a dozen Biden-Clinton-related questions later, I just had to ask...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KEITH: How much do you love these Biden questions?
(LAUGHTER)
EARNEST: There's certainly some other topics that I would prefer to discuss.
KEITH: Earnest is merely the messenger here. Obama himself was asked back in February in a lightning round of questions from NBC's Savannah Guthrie.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden?
BARACK OBAMA: Love them both.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Good try.
GUTHRIE: I had to try. I had to try.
KEITH: She might as well have asked Sasha or Malia? For now at least, President Obama and his spokesman aren't picking favorites. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the White House. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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