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Would Clinton tap Biden for secretary of State? Sources say yes.

A source close to the Clinton campaign tells Politico that the Democratic presidential nominee is considering tapping the current vice president for the nation's top diplomatic role.

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John Minchillo/AP
Vice President Joe Biden campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the Sinclair Community College Automotive Technology Building on Oct. 24, 2016, in Dayton, Ohio.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is considering tapping Vice President Joe Biden as secretary of State if she is elected, according to sources close to the campaign.

“He’d be great, and they are spending a lot of time figuring out the best way to try to persuade him to do it if she wins,” the source told Politico.

NBC News later confirmed that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was considering Mr. Biden for the job. The Clinton campaign has not yet responded to these claims, but if appointed, acting as the US top diplomat would be another addition to Biden’s already impressive political résumé.

“When Biden ran for president in 1988 and 2008, he fared poorly. After 36 years in the Senate, he seemed destined to be a lifer there,” the Christian Science Monitor’s Linda Feldmann wrote last year. “But when Barack Obama chose him for the ticket in 2008, Biden moved one step closer to the Oval Office, and earned widespread affection in the White House as ‘Uncle Joe.’ Famous for his exuberant style, and the occasional gaffe, Biden wins praise for his authenticity.” 

And according to the vice president’s wife, Joe Biden has been considered for the position of secretary of State before. 

Jill Biden made news in 2009 on the Oprah Winfrey show, when she said that President Obama offered Biden the choice between vice president or secretary of State, and Biden chose vice president in order to be close to his family. The Obama-Biden campaign quickly dismissed these claims.

Biden again considered a presidential bid in 2016, but after many weeks of speculation, the vice president made a statement in the White House’s Rose Garden last October with Mr. Obama by his side. Because of his son Beau’s recent passing, Biden said he was not in the position to take on the role of commander-in-chief.

After his “un-announcement,” the Monitor’s Peter Grier suggested that by not running for president, Biden worked to unify the Democratic party.

“By not running, he has ensured that Democrats will be able to present a united front early in the presidential campaign. His un-announcement shows the qualities that could make him a formidable Clinton surrogate campaigner: passion, an empathy with the little guy, and an apparent authenticity that Clinton cannot match.”

And thus far in the presidential race, Biden has served as a faithful supporter. Acting as a rigorous advocate for Hillary Clinton, he frequents the campaign trail to speak on her behalf. Biden has also already served the Clinton campaign in an international capacity, traveling to Latvia in August to reassure NATO allies of America’s partnership despite disparaging remarks by the Trump campaign.

“In Biden, Clinton would be tapping a seasoned hand on foreign policy, a glad-handing pol with a long memory and a well of deep relationships around the globe,” suggests Politico. Other names have been discussed for the job, “But none of those picks would come with the star power that’s been a feature for all recent picks for the job, and which Biden would bring in buckets.”

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