Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential Campaign Launch Delayed: Reports

Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential Campaign Launch Delayed: Reports
Former Vice President Joe Biden in front of a Stop & Shop in support of union workers on April 18, 2019, in Dorchester, Mass. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Zachary Stieber
4/24/2019
Updated:
4/24/2019

Former Vice President Joe Biden, widely reported to be planning an April 24 event to launch his presidential campaign, has pushed back the event, according to reports.

Several sources told Atlantic reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere that the announcement, to be made by video, was being pushed back to an unspecified date.
Dovere previously reported that Biden finally decided to run and that his campaign was deciding upon the location for the campaign launch, with the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Delaware among those being considered.
The story in the openly-left Atlantic repeated the lie that President Donald Trump refused to condemn white supremacists after a death at a rally in Charlottesville in August 2017, saying Biden might “go for a powerful challenge directed right at Trump” by announcing in the city.
Vice President Joe Biden at an event to honor former Vice President Walter Mondale at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20, 2015. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Vice President Joe Biden at an event to honor former Vice President Walter Mondale at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20, 2015. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

About Biden’s choice, Dovore wrote: “He’s decided that he isn’t too old, isn’t too out of sync with the current energy in the Democratic Party, and certainly wasn’t going to be chased out by the women who accused him of making them feel uncomfortable or demeaned because of how he’d touched them.”

Biden was going to include video footage that he shot two weeks ago outside his old family home in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The change caused some confusion about what was next for Biden, but sources familiar with the kick-off planning told Fox News that he will now make his presidential campaign official on Thursday in a video announcement.

“The theme for the announcement is going to be ‘the battle for the soul of America,’” said one source close to Biden’s inner circle, who asked for anonymity.

Sources said that a Charlottesville appearance is now out.

NBC also reported on Tuesday that Biden would announce on Thursday with an online video.
According to Julian Routh, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter, Biden was also planning to hold an event in Pittsburgh on April 29 at the Teamsters Local 249 Hall. The report was echoed by other outlets, including NBC.

Biden served 36 years in the U.S. Senate representing Delaware and eight years as vice president under former President Barack Obama.

Biden’s candidacy would bring the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls to 19. Political observers in recent weeks have wondered if Biden delayed his decision due to recent allegations from women that Biden made them feel uncomfortable when he touched them at political events in the past.

After four women came forward with allegations, sources close to Biden told Reuters that campaign preparations had not been slowed by the controversy. Biden has openly joked about the allegations during recent appearances.

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, speaks in the election in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, on Nov. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, speaks in the election in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, on Nov. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Despite not having announced his candidacy yet, Biden has for weeks been the clear front-runner in all major polls tracking actual and possible 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, including Morning Consult, Monmouth, Harvard-Harris, and Emerson. According to a RealClearPolitics average, Biden leads at 30 percent, as self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) trails behind at 22.5 percent.

In his two previous presidential runs, Biden failed to develop a strong base of political support, dropping out of the race both times. If he were to be elected this time, he would be 78 years old when taking office, which would make him the oldest president-elect in U.S. history.

On April 3 Biden responded with a two-minute video to allegations he inappropriately touched a number of women, most recently stemming from two accusers who came forward.

While he never explicitly apologized for his actions, Biden did address the growing criticism of his past behavior in a video, saying he would pay more attention to not invading people’s personal space. He also defended his behavior, describing it as “just who I am” while adding that times have changed.

Epoch Times reporter Bowen Xiao contributed to this report.
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
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