Stephen Colbert on Thursday joined the chorus of Joe Biden supporters who are asking the vice president to officially throw his name into the 2016 race for the White House.
During his appearance on The Late Show, Biden shared with Colbert his struggles following the death of his son Beau Biden in May. He wondered aloud if his grief would distract him during a potential run. He said: “I don’t think any man or woman should run for president unless—number one—they know exactly why they would want to be president, and—number two—they can look at folks out there and say, ‘I promise you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy, and my passion to do this.’ And I’d be lying if I said that I knew I was there.”
Colbert said: It’s going to be emotional for a lot of people if you don’t run,” adding that Biden’s “experience and example with suffering and service” would be sorely missed in the race.
The Late Show premiered with Colbert as its host on Tuesday, and Biden’s segment was the show’s most serious yet.
[Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opVaEC_WxWs&w=560&h=315]
Biden told Colbert that during a recent visit with members of the military in Denver, one solider yelled out that he’d served with Beau Biden in Iraq. “[A]nd all of a sudden I lost it—I shouldn’t be saying this—and you can’t do that,” the vice president said.
There has been much speculation over whether Biden will challenge front-runner Hillary Clinton for the democratic nomination in 2016.