Politics

Joe Biden is absolutely going to run for president —or not

Vice President Joe Biden scratches his head. REUTERS / Joshua Roberts

By Nik DeCosta-Klipa @NikDeCostaKlipa

October 19, 2015

2 minutes to read

According to multiple reports, Vice President Joe Biden is maybe going to announce that he will run for president or not run for president within the next 24 or 48 hours or more.

Confused? Good.

Monday marked perhaps the to-date peak of Biden Watch, as multiple media outlets reported — sometimes conflictingly — on if and when the vice president would announce his presidential candidacy.

New Hampshire Rep. Dan Eaton, the state director of the Draft Biden super PAC, told Boston.com Monday evening he does not expect an announcement for at least another 24 to 48 hours.

After a national conference call among Draft Biden staff Monday evening, Eaton said they had “nothing to report beyond high hopes on all our parts that there will be a positive announcement soon.’’

Eaton said he hoped to clarify an earlier report sourcing him from the Union Leader that Biden might announce as early as Monday night, noting he had “no specific information at this moment.’’

Reports and speculation from national media suggest Biden is leaning toward running.

NBC News, citing “two sources,’’ reported Monday morning that an announcement “could come within 48 hours.’’

Also Monday morning, a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania took up the role of journalist on the Biden beat, citing “a very good source.’’

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Fox News reported just after noon Monday that, according to three “close’’ sources, Biden is set to announce he will run for president, though not necesarily within 48 hours, as NBC News reported that morning.

Around the same time, “a source’’ told CNN that Biden’s team is already setting up interviews for positions on the vice president’s “potential’’ campaign.

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Then Monday afternoon, “a person involved in Biden’s deliberations’’ told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that Biden is “genuinely undecided.’’

“[Biden] has not reached an actual decision and therefore there is no announcement coming,’’ the source told Karl, adding the “time is nigh.’’ Seriously.