Joe Biden Reveals Timeframe for 2016 Presidential Decision

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Joe Biden is in no rush to decide whether he’ll run for president in 2016, telling reporters in Iowa Thursday he’ll make up his mind “at the end of the summer.”

“That’s a family personal decision that I’m going to make sometime at the end of the summer,” Biden, who was on an official trip to the state, said during a classroom tour at the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny.

Asked by a reporter if he’s holding any meetings about a 2016 campaign while in Iowa, Biden noted he’s not engaging in any organizing for a presidential run on this trip.

“I’ve been here a lot, I have a lot of friends. I’m going to see some of my friends [who] are still in the legislature and they’re here today. But no I’m not doing any organization if that’s what you mean,” he added. “I met with old friends like Kevin McCarthy and the newest, youngest state rep who was just elected who worked on one of my campaigns early on.” He said the trip was about connecting people with “specific job opportunities and training.”

By establishing an end-of-summer timeframe for a decision, Biden, 72, is giving himself a little more time to make up his mind on a presidential run. Just last month, Biden referenced summer as a deadline for deciding.

“Well, I don’t think you have to make up your mind until the summer,” Biden said in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “I think this is wide open on both sides.”

Biden has made no secret about considering a third run for the White House, and many have questioned whether he or other Democrats will challenge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is expected to make an announcement about her presidential intentions this spring.

Earlier in the day, Biden offered a kernel of advice for any Democratic candidates running in the next election, saying they should run on the accomplishments of President Obama’s administration.

“Run, yes, run — on what we have done,” Biden said at an event at Drake University. “Only what we have done. Stand for what we have done. Acknowledge what we have done. And be judged on what we have done, if we have any chance for resurgence — continued resurgence — in 2016.”

He added: “Some say that would amount to a third term of the president. I call it sticking with what works.”

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.