Joe Biden, vice president, said in Wednesday remarks from the Rose Garden, with President Obama by his side: I'm not running for president. "Mr. President, thank you for lending me the Rose Garden for a minute," he said. "As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I've said all along ... it may very well be that process closes the window on mounting a realistic [winning] campaign."
He then said: "I've concluded it has closed." Biden referenced his family's loss. "[My son] Beau is our inspiration," he said, referencing his dead son. "Unfortunately, we're out of time." He then promised to keep speaking out on the political trail – vowing "not [to] be silent" – and to continue pressing forward with Democratic principles.
"This nation would be making a tragic mistake if we attempt to ... undo the Obama legacy," he said, saying other Democrats needed to uphold Obama's key policies, as well.
Biden then spoke of the need to pull in Republicans into the political process in order to create a non-partisan atmosphere, and then went into a sort of rambling segment during which he talked about a cure for cancer, the need for equal rights for LGBTs and the need for fair pay for women.
"It's about respect," he said. "Dignity. It's not complicated. Every single one of these issues is about dignity."
He also called for America to keep on pushing forward to realize its full potential. "I believe there's unlimited possibilities for this country," he said. "I've been doing this for a long time ... I am most optimistic of possibilities, incredible possibilities to leap forward, than I have at any time in my career. ... We have to be one America again."
And his conclusion, without taking any questions from the press: "Thank you all for being so gracious to [wife] Jill and me," he said, "but I'm telling you, we can do so much more."
Reaction from Hillary Clinton's campaign camp was not immediately available. But as former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said on Fox News, shortly after the announcement: "This is the biggest campaign contribution Hillary Clinton has ever received."
Clinton is due to testify on Capitol Hill on Thursday about her role in Benghazi, which is expected to include questions about her private email server.