Biden Meets With Warren as He Weighs Presidential Bid, CNN Says

An aide to Mr. Biden confirmed the meeting, telling CNN: “The vice president traveled last minute to Washington, D.C., for a private meeting and will be returning to Delaware”.

Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Washington, D.C.’s Naval Observatory on Saturday for a confidential talk with Sen.

The vice president, whose official schedule said he was planning to spend the weekend at his home in Delaware, arrived in Washington around 11 a.m.

That is assuming Clinton stays his largest impediment to the nomination.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met on Saturday with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a popular progressive leader with a big support base among Democrats, as he mulls whether to run for president, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Earlier this year, campaign-watchers focused on Warren and whether she would challenge Clinton, prompting a vibrant “Draft Warren” movement that fizzled after she repeatedly declined to enter the race. She’s considered to be a highly influential member of the Democratic party. Ted Kaufman have spent time there, along with Biden’s grandson, Hunter Biden, and his sister, Valerie Owens Biden, who has played a top role in all his previous campaigns.

Biden’s advisers have told the vice president he must decide by October 1 – roughly a week after his self-proclaimed “end-of-summer” deadline.

Some Republican candidates for the presidency have suggested that the former Secretary of State will not be able to survive the campaign because of Justice Department probes into the handling of classified information on her private email server. Separately, the super PAC encouraging Biden to run has set a goal to raise $2.5 million to $3 million in the next six or so weeks. But the trappings of his current job make campaigning extremely expensive for Biden.

Clinton and Sanders have already amassed millions of dollars while securing support from numerous party’s top fundraisers.

It remains to be seen whether Biden could attract enough major donors and bundlers to fund a competitive campaign. A top Biden adviser told CNN this week the vice president is expected to wait at least until mid-September to announce a decision.

Aiming to show Biden can be aggressive in key main states, Draft Biden has been organizing and recruiting Democratic expertise in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Biden’s team has said it’s optimistic about South Carolina, which holds the third primary contest and where Biden has deep political roots. In an try and lock up help there, Clinton’s marketing campaign has dispatched prime advisers John Podesta and James Carville to South Carolina, the place they have been holding public occasions and saying endorsements.