Biden campaign says no VP pick yet after bike trail quip

Joe Biden’s presidential campaign confirmed Saturday that he has not yet picked a running mate after the former vice president was seen on video quipping to a reporter about his 2020 selection.

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy caught Biden on a bike trail in Delaware on Saturday morning. Biden initially responded in the affirmative when asked if he had picked a running mate before jokingly telling the reporter that he had chosen him to be his running mate.

“Folks, this is clearly a joke,” campaign spokesperson TJ Ducklo said after tweets went viral stating Biden had picked is No. 2. “When Vice President Biden has made a decision on who his running mate will be, he will let the American people know. And can confirm, it’s not @pdoocy of @FoxNews.”

Folks, this is clearly a joke. When Vice President Biden has made a decision on who his running mate will be, he will let the American people know. And can confirm, it’s not @pdoocy of @FoxNews. https://t.co/iMfqMGepTE

— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) August 8, 2020

Anticipation has grown over who Biden will select as his running mate, with the former vice president expected to make a decision as soon as this weekend, sources have told The Hill.

Biden’s campaign had initially said a pick for vice president would be made by Aug. 1, though that deadline was pushed back several times, and the campaign now says a running mate will be officially announced before the Democratic National Convention begins on Aug. 17.

The former vice president is known to be mulling a number of Democrats, though has given no indication exactly how many are under consideration or who would be considered a front-runner.

Under consideration are Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.); Reps. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Val Demings (D-Fla.); and former national security adviser Susan Rice, among others.

Biden has not ruled out any of the contenders but is under mounting pressure to pick a Black woman amid the national reckoning over systemic racism and as a way to honor the key role African American voters had in boosting his campaign, which flagged during the early primary season before rebounding in South Carolina.

In a sign the search has heated up and is nearing its final stage, several of the contenders have had to grapple with recent opposition research dumps, including Bass’s past remarks on Cuba and Scientology, Rice’s investment in the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project, and internal opposition to Harris, among other stories.