When asked if he has a built up announcement to share, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden did not offer any.
Biden along with former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) joined an MSNBC show on Thursday night where host Lawrence O’Donnell mentioned that the former vice president invited Abrams to the discussion.
“Mr. vice president, do you have an announcement to make?” O’Donnell asked, adding, “Is this an audition? What is the reason that you decided, ‘It is time for me to get on TV with Stacey Abrams?'”
Instead of offering an announcement of her possibly becoming his running mate, Biden offered praise of Abrams as he noted she has made sure there is a “fair vote” and applauded her “great capacity to explain things.”
“Stacey knows what she’s doing and she’s an incredibly capable person,” Biden later added.
However, it would have been an unusual time to announce his running mate during the MSNBC segment — though the country is in a very different place this election year with the coronavirus pandemic.
Typically, presidential running mates are announced in July or August ahead of the party’s convention. When former President Barack Obama officially chose Biden as his running mate, he announced it two days ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
Watch the video below:
Biden took O'Donnell's opening to announce Stacey Abrams as his running mate tonight and absolutely punted it:https://t.co/QScIaQzzdE pic.twitter.com/6BnhU6vAKO
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) May 15, 2020
Abrams has been vocal about her support for Biden and how she would be “honored” to accept the position as his running mate if he chose her. She also officially endorsed Biden for president this week.
Biden has vowed to choose a woman as his running mate. Since he became the presumptive Democratic nominee, multiple women have expressed interest in becoming his vice president pick.
