Vice President Biden not ruling out possibility of a 2020 run

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Vice President Joe Biden said he isn't ruling out a 2020 run for the White House, reopening a door he seemingly closed last week.

Biden told CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper he isn't ready to rule out the possibility of seeking the democratic nomination in 2020.

"Four years is a lifetime in American politics," Biden said. "And I think nominees are determined by their parties based mostly on what skill set is most needed at that time."

"Who knows where we're going to be two years from now when people are really starting to look seriously at what they're going to do," he said.

Biden, who will be 78 in 2020, admitted his age might be an issue.

"Age could be very much an issue, and it may not be," he said. "It depends on the state of my health and the health of whoever is running."

"This is the time to reestablish the roots of the Democratic party," Biden told Tapper. "We are going to engage in some real serious debates...I think you're going to see a lot more focus on how to bring everybody on board in terms of economic growth."

He said the Democratic Party currently lacks leadership.

"Like after every presidential election that the party loses, there is no single leader," he said. "There are voices that hopefully will be heard. Hopefully, I'll be able to have a voice in the direction of the party."

"I'm not going anywhere," Biden said. "I'm really not."

The vice president's interview came after he briefly addressed reporters Wednesday on his way to a farewell party in the Senate.

"I have no intention of running," he said at the time.

Biden was said to have told reporters Monday that he intended to seek the nomination in 2020, but he later clarified that he was joking.

"I'm just, I'm not committing not to run. I'm not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago, fate has a strange way of intervening," he said.