‘You don’t know what’s going to happen’: Biden backs off 2020 White House run — but only slightly

Vice President Joe Biden clarified some hints he dropped on Monday about a possible 2020 White House bid.

In an interview on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert“ Tuesday, Biden said jokingly, “I did that for one reason, so I could announce now I’m not running and be popular again.”

“So there’s no way? You didn’t mean that? What the hell, Vice President?” Colbert asked.

“I’m a great respecter of fate,” Biden said. “I don’t plan on running again, but to say you know what’s going to happen in four years I just think is not rational,” Biden responded.

“That is the sound of a door creaking open,” Colbert quipped.

Biden continued: “I can’t see the circumstance in which I’d run, but what I’ve learned a long long time ago, Stephen, is to never say ‘never’ – you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Hell, Donald Trump’s going to be 74. I’ll be 77, in better shape,” Biden said to Colbert as the audience laughed. “I mean, what the hell?”

The vice president told Colbert in an emotional interview over a year ago that the death of his son Beau made it too difficult to commit to a 2016 run. He ultimately decided to stay out of the race.

Biden told Colbert he does not regret his choice: “The decision was the right decision for me to have made.”

Watch the clip here:

Does @VP @JoeBiden really want to runagainst @realDonaldTrump in 2020?What he told @StephenAtHome tonight:https://t.co/1kLz4DFGnUpic.twitter.com/IDHZZuYD1U

— Matt Wilstein (@TheMattWilstein) December7, 2016

Does @VP @JoeBiden really want to runagainst @realDonaldTrump in 2020?What he told @StephenAtHome tonight:https://t.co/1kLz4DFGnUpic.twitter.com/IDHZZuYD1U

@VP@JoeBiden@realDonaldTrump@StephenAtHomehttps://t.co/1kLz4DFGnUpic.twitter.com/IDHZZuYD1UDecember7, 2016