Joe Biden says he's open to pick Michelle Obama as vice-president: 'I'd take her in a heartbeat'
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has hinted time and again that he would pick a woman as his running mate. While his former presidential rivals in Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren are in the fray, former first lady Michelle Obama is also not out of contention. The 77-year-old former vice president, who had served in the administration of Michelle’s husband Barack between 2009 and 2017, has expressed his open mind towards picking the popular former first lady as his deputy a number of times. On Monday, April 20, he reiterated it.
Speaking to KDKA, CBS News, Biden said Michelle would be a strong addition if picked as the VP though he also conceded that he does not know if the latter would accept the offer. Michelle, 56, has also been preferred as a potential presidential candidate by many Democrats but she has said repeatedly that she is not interested in joining politics. ‘I’ll say it here directly: I have no intention of running for office, ever,’ Michelle, one of the most admired women in modern-day US, wrote in her memoir ‘Becoming’ that was released two years ago.
But Biden is still hopeful that she would join his journey if he succeeds in defeating President Donald Trump to occupy the White House next January. “I’d take her in a heartbeat. She’s brilliant. She knows the way around. She is a really fine woman,” Biden said.
Barack Obama recently endorsed Biden
The Obamas have gone softer on Biden’s candidature in recent times after a prolonged silence. Barack Obama endorsed Biden only last week after he emerged as the only candidate in the fray following the withdrawal of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Michelle, too, has been reportedly preparing to roll out her endorsement for the former Delaware senator and lend him her star power in the run-up to the November election.
Last September, Biden expressed his openness to the idea of having Michelle as his running mate. In January end, just a few days ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Biden said he would love to see Michelle to serve as his No 2.
The probable vice-presidential pick under Biden remains a subject of curiosity since he will be the oldest man to become the president if he wins in November and a single-term presidency would make his deputy a much-discussed name in the days to come.
However, the veteran told KDKA that the process of picking his running mate has just begun. “In terms of who to pick, we’re just beginning the process. We’ll shortly name the committee to review this and begin to look through the backgrounds of the various potential nominees. And that's just getting underway,” he said. ‘I’ll commit to that be a woman because it is very important that my administration look like the public, look like the nation. And we will be committed that there will be a woman of color on the Supreme Court, but it doesn't mean there won't be a vice president, as well,” he added.
As of now, Klobuchar, who is a senator from Minnesota, is considered as a frontrunner to be picked as the vice-presidential candidate because of her political acumen and to mobilize the support in the industrial Midwest.