Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that the biggest factor in his decision on whether to run for president is whether he and his family "have the emotional energy to run."
That deeply conflicted response was the first public articulation of a thought process he's discussed until now only privately with top Democrats and close advisers.
The question came after a lecture in Atlanta, where Biden defended the Iran nuclear deal and discussed world affairs at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue.
He did not mention Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state whose candidacy has faced mounting questions about her handling of classified information on a personal e-mail account, creating a possible opening for the vice president.
Biden has been mourning the death of his son, Beau Biden, the former Delaware attorney general who was considering a race for governor before his death from brain cancer in May.