Vice President Joe Biden made the remarks about his decision not to seek the Democratic nomination for president during an interview with Bloomberg Politics published Wednesday. | Getty Biden: I made the 'right decision' to not run

Vice President Joe Biden believes had he challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, he could have won. But, in retrospect, his decision not to enter the race was the right one.

“My decision, I know, was the right decision,” Biden said in an interview with Bloomberg Politics published on Wednesday. Biden, flanked by his wife, Jill, and President Barack Obama in the Rose Garden, announced in October he was “out of time” to mount a real campaign.


“I believed I could win, but that’s not enough,” he said, according to Bloomberg.

Biden is still coping with the loss of his son, Beau, who died of brain cancer at age 46 this summer. He described his “exceptional son” as his “soul.” “When I lost Beau, I lost the most honest, insightful, knowledgeable political adviser I had,” Biden said. “He managed me well, for real.”

Biden does admit that 2016 still has his attention. He said he has had lengthy conversations with Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, though at times he finds himself comparing the actions and statements of his would-be rivals to what he would have done and said.

“I’ve always thought in those terms, from the time I was a 29-year-old senator,” he said. “How would I have done it differently?”

As for Donald Trump, who continues to lead national polls despite his bombastic, divisive and sometimes offensive rhetoric, Biden called his politics a “dangerous brew” but is confident voters will reject him.

“Even though it appeals to some people who are really frightened and scared, even though it appeals to some prejudice and fears, I don’t think it’s sustainable,” he said.