--- title: Joe Biden: Hillary Clinton Ran for President Out of Duty description: Vice President Joe Biden says Hillary Clinton felt obligated to run for president again in 2016. canonical: https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-23T17:01:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:48.976Z article:section: Politics og:title: Biden Says Clinton Felt Feminist Duty to Run og:description: "She thought she had no choice but to run." og:url: https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8990ae0a21ca7ac/6988b3f0196cf473aa03e5c6/gettyimages-628632954.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Hillary Clinton And VP Biden Attend Portrait Unveiling For Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Biden Says Clinton Felt Feminist Duty to Run twitter:description: "She thought she had no choice but to run." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8990ae0a21ca7ac/6988b3f0196cf473aa03e5c6/gettyimages-628632954.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Joe Biden Says Hillary Clinton Felt Feminist Duty to Run > 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. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=3edd779f-f924-4b1c-ac4e-81633da4d1e5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=3edd779f-f924-4b1c-ac4e-81633da4d1e5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=3edd779f-f924-4b1c-ac4e-81633da4d1e5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. 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. ## Video: Watch the Senate Bid Farewell to Joe Biden [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Senate Bid Farewell to Joe Biden](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/I7yhbiQU.m3u8) (0:53)  _Published 2016-12-07. Vice President Joe Biden said goodbye to the Senate on Wednesday, ending more than 40 years of service in the government once he leaves office on Jan. 20._  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Dec 23, 2016 5:01 PM UTC  Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) shares a moment with Vice President Joseph Biden (L) during a leadership portrait unveiling ceremony for Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) December 8, 2016 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong--Getty Images) Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) shares a moment with Vice President Joseph Biden (L) during a leadership portrait unveiling ceremony for Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) December 8, 2016 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong--Getty Images) Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Dec 23, 2016 5:01 PM UTC Vice President Joe Biden says Hillary Clinton felt obligated to run for president again in 2016, since she was the first woman who really had the opportunity to win the presidency. “She thought she had no choice but to run,” Biden said in an interview with the [Los Angeles _Times_.](http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-biden-interview-20161222-story.html) “That, as the first woman who had an opportunity to win the presidency, I think it was a real burden on her.” He said she saw her campaign as a way to open up “a whole range of new vistas to women.” But Biden says the leaked Wikileaks emails revealed that her campaign lacked clarity of purpose behind her campaign. “I don’t think she ever really figured it out,” Biden said. “And by the way, I think it was really hard for her to decide to run.” He said her decision was more about duty to American women than raw ambition. Biden also says Democrats need to adjust their message to speak to high-school educated, middle class people who feel left out of the economy, and suggested that Trump’s victory can’t be explained by racism and sexism alone. “They’re all the people I grew up with,” he said. “They’re their kids. And they’re not racist. They’re not sexist. But we didn’t talk to them.” He said that some of the Democrat’s laser-focus on issues of equality may have alienated working-class voters who are concerned with putting food on the table. “We should be proud of where the hell we are, and not yield an inch,” he said. “But in the meantime, you can’t eat equality.” ## Transcript The greatest honor of my life is to serve in the seat that you held for 36 years and not just literally this seat in the senate but also a seat on the 715 Amtrak train down from Wilmington every morning. Obviously I don't always agree with him, but I do trust him, implicitly. He doesn't break his word. He doesn't waste time telling me why I'm wrong He gets down to brass tacks and he keeps in sight, the stakes. He's an on spurring man. So Steven Spielberg, Hollywood, you should be listening. Joe Biden's life is the stuff of which movies are made. You've been a real friend. You have been a trusted partner, and it has been an honor to serve with you. We are all going to miss you. Gods be. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/"},"headline":"Joe Biden Says Hillary Clinton Felt Feminist Duty to Run","datePublished":"2016-12-23T17:01:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:48.976Z","description":"\"She thought she had no choice\"","url":"https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/","keywords":["women","Joe Biden","President","campaign","vice president","hillary clinton","trump","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8990ae0a21ca7ac/6988b3f0196cf473aa03e5c6/gettyimages-628632954.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlotte Alter","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8990ae0a21ca7ac/6988b3f0196cf473aa03e5c6/gettyimages-628632954.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Hillary Clinton And VP Biden Attend Portrait Unveiling For Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid","caption":"Hillary Clinton And VP Biden Attend Portrait Unveiling For Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid","creditText":"Alex Wong—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/","name":"Joe Biden Says Hillary Clinton Felt Feminist Duty to Run"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch the Senate Bid Farewell to Joe Biden","description":"Vice President Joe Biden said goodbye to the Senate on Wednesday, ending more than 40 years of service in the government once he leaves office on Jan. 20.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/I7yhbiQU/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-12-07T22:24:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/I7yhbiQU.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/","duration":"PT53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4617504/joe-biden-hillary-clinton-feminist-duty/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```