Joe Biden: Former vice-president 'very close' to deciding whether to run against Trump in 2020 election

Delaware Democrat says he would establish diverse team that reflects multicultural American society

Former Vice President Joe Biden has said he is “very close” to making a decision about entering the 2020 presidential race and his family is on board with a potential White House bid against Donald Trump.

The 76-year-old Democrat spoke to students at the University of Delaware where he mentioned discussing a run for the Oval Office with his family, revealing “the most important people in my life want me to run".

“The first hurdle for me was deciding whether or not I am comfortable taking the family through what would be a very, very difficult campaign,” Mr Biden said on Tuesday in a moderated conversation with Jon Meacham, a presidential historian.

“No matter who runs. It’s a very difficult campaign. The primary will be very difficult. And the general election, running against President Trump, I don’t think that he’s likely to stop at anything, whomever he runs against.”

The comments were the Delaware Democrat’s most direct about the likelihood of him entering the crowded pool of presidential candidates.

“I am certain about where the family is,” he added. “But the second piece is that I don’t want this to be a fool’s errand and I want to make sure that if we do this, and we’re very close to getting to a decision, that I am fully prepared to do it.”

Family has been a primary factor for Mr Biden as he mulls over a presidential run, especially since the unexpected death of his son Beau in 2015, which led him to rule out running in the 2016 presidential election.

Mr Biden also said that in considering a White House bid, issues like fundraising, social media strategies, and creating a “campaign organisation that reflects who we are as a country, made up of women and men, and African-Americans, Hispanic, Latinos, Asian" would have to be addressed.

He said he could “die a happy man never having lived in the White House”, adding that he would not enter the race unless he was likely to win the Democratic nomination.

“What I don’t want to do is take people’s time, effort and commitment without there being a clear shot that I could be the nominee,” he said. “I think we can. I think that’s where we are. But there are still a couple hurdles to go through to make sure we have all this in place. And if we conclude that, I would announce, and I would run for president.”

As Mr Biden discussed a potential presidential bid, an audience member shouted: “Oh, God! Just say yes!”

Although Mr Biden is expected to come to a decision soon, CNN reported it was unlikely a formal announcement would be made before April.