Tipsheet

Joe Biden Rules Out Ever Running for Office Again

On 60 Minutes Sunday night, Vice President Joe Biden said that he has no plans to ever run for office ever again. This is Biden's first interview since announcing that he will not run for president in 2016.

Norah O'Donnell: Will you ever run for political office again?

Vice President Biden: No. No. I can do so much more, I believe. I hope I leave office in-- as a respected figure who can convene people and bring people together. And I just think the president and I talked about what we do together. What we each want to do out of office--

Norah O'Donnell: You said something in the Rose Garden. You said, "If I could be anything I would want to be the president that ended cancer."

Vice President Biden: It's true. It's personal, I acknowledge. But, you know, cancer affects every single family. And, you know, one of the great advantages and an advantage I had it's-- of being vice president, I had access to the finest people in the world. And I am confident if we make the decision John Kennedy made of going to the moon, and we said, "We are going to cure cancer," within the next several years we can do that. That's how close it is.

Despite the fact that Biden made it clear he does not want to run for president, rumors persisted that he would be the "backup" candidate in case something went seriously wrong. Biden is currently 72 years old, and would be over the age of 80 if he were elected to two terms. He deserves a retirement.