Campaign

Biden to travel to California amid presidential buzz

by Jordan Fabian - 09/09/15 6:54 PM ET

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Southern California next Wednesday as he tests his campaign message ahead of a possible White House run.

Biden will speak at a solar power conference in Anaheim, Calif., and at the U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit in Los Angeles, the president’s office said.

{mosads}Biden has ramped up his travel schedule over the past two weeks, fueling speculation he is readying a bid to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In Florida, he touted his foreign policy bonafides during a meeting with Jewish leaders on the Iran nuclear deal and mingled with Democratic donors. Biden marched in a Labor Day parade in Pittsburgh and rallied union members by calling for policies to address income inequality.

The vice president is heading to New York City for an announcement with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the sexual assault kit backlog and an economic speech with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife, hit the road with President Obama on Wednesday to tout the administration’s college affordability plan.

Despite the growing buzz, Biden has stressed he has not made up his mind on a run. He has publicly questioned whether he has the “emotional fuel” to run for president while his after the death of his son Beau in May.

“The factor is, can I do it? Can my family undertake what is an arduous commitment that would be proud to undertake under ordinary circumstances. But the honest to God answer is I just don’t know,” Biden said during a speech at an Atlanta synagogue last week.

Biden’s trip also serves as a prelude to the state visit of Chinese Xi Jinping later this month.

Obama is seeking China’s support for a global agreement to curb greenhouse gases in Paris later this year.

Tags Joe Biden