WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden described Bernie Sanders on Monday as more authentic on economic inequality than Hillary Clinton and defended Sanders’ record on gun control. Weighing in on the Democratic race he almost joined, Biden said he never felt Clinton was the prohibitive favorite to win.
In an interview with CNN, Biden also disclosed that President Barack Obama offered him money when his son’s health declined and made him promise not to sell his house. Beau Biden died from brain cancer last May.
Biden, who decided not to run months after his son’s death, said Sanders speaks to “a yearning that is deep and real” on issues of wealth disparity and people left out of the economy. He said Sanders had credibility on the issue, but that for Clinton, the issue was relatively new.
“Hillary’s focus has been other things up to now, and that’s been Bernie’s — no one questions Bernie’s authenticity on those issues,” Biden said. He went on to say people question anybody who hasn’t been talking about the issue that long.
He also said Clinton, who has coalesced much of the Democratic establishment’s support, had a high bar to meet as the perceived favorite to win her party’s nomination.
“I never thought she was a prohibitive favorite. I don’t think she ever thought she was a prohibitive favorite,” said Biden, who praised Clinton at other points in the interview.
