--- title: Joe Biden: I Would Have Been the Best President description: Vice President Joe Biden chose not to run after the death of his son Beau, but he has yet to endorse a Democrat in the 2016 election. canonical: https://time.com/4326174/joe-biden-best-president-2016-election/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-11T15:07:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:10.599Z article:section: Politics og:title: Joe Biden Says He Would Have Been the 'Best President' og:description: Biden has yet to endorse a Democrat in the 2016 election og:url: https://time.com/4326174/joe-biden-best-president-2016-election/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt659acaff30d3a1de/6988805c3c1639469945c4e5/joe-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Vice President Biden And NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Deliver Remarks On Economy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Joe Biden Says He Would Have Been the 'Best President' twitter:description: Biden has yet to endorse a Democrat in the 2016 election twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt659acaff30d3a1de/6988805c3c1639469945c4e5/joe-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Joe Biden Says He Would Have Been the 'Best President' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White May 11, 2016 3:07 PM UTC  Joe Biden speaks at a rally in New York City, on Jan. 29, 2016. Joe Biden speaks at a rally in New York City, on Jan. 29, 2016. Andrew Burton—Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White May 11, 2016 3:07 PM UTC Vice President Joe Biden said he [“would have been the best president”](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/joe-biden-best-president/story?id=39023077) if he had entered the 2016 presidential race. In an interview that aired Wednesday, Biden told _Good Morning America_ host Robin Roberts that [the death of his eldest son Beau last May](http://time.com/3981228/beau-biden-joe-biden-president/) was too much for him to handle on the campaign trail. “No one should ever seek the presidency unless they’re able to devote their whole heart and soul and passion into just doing that,” Biden said. “And, Beau was my soul. I just wasn’t ready to be able to do that. But, so, my one regret is my Beau’s not here. I don’t have any other regrets.” Democrats had expected Biden to run until [he announced in October](http://time.com/4143310/joe-biden-presidential-run-right-decision/) that he would not enter the race. Biden’s decision to sit out [left more room for Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/4081826/joe-biden-presidential-campaign-platform/)—even though he has yet to endorse her or Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “I feel confident that Hillary will be the nominee,” Biden said, “and I feel confident she’ll be the next president.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4326174/joe-biden-best-president-2016-election/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4326174/joe-biden-best-president-2016-election/"},"headline":"Joe Biden Says He Would Have Been the 'Best President'","datePublished":"2016-05-11T15:07:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:46:10.599Z","description":"Biden has yet to endorse a Democrat in the 2016 election","url":"https://time.com/4326174/joe-biden-best-president-2016-election/","keywords":["2016 Election","democrats","2016 Election","Joe Biden","White House"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt659acaff30d3a1de/6988805c3c1639469945c4e5/joe-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt659acaff30d3a1de/6988805c3c1639469945c4e5/joe-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Vice President Biden And NY Gov. 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