Biden wants "strong" vice president who is "ready to be president on day one"
As he considers who to pick to be his running mate, Joe Biden says he's looking for someone who is "ready to be president on day one." Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, made the comment in an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said the events across the country over the last two weeks haven't necessarily affected how he'll pick his running mate or who it will be, but they have given him a "greater focus and urgency on the need" to select a person who is "totally simpatico" with him philosophically. Still, the former vice president said he wants someone who's also comfortable enough with him to argue with him privately when they disagree. Biden has publicly committed to selecting a woman for the job and hopes to announce his decision by early August.
"It's really important that whomever you pick as a vice president agrees with you in terms of your philosophy of government and agrees with you on the systemic things that you wanna change," Biden told O'Donnell. "And is, in fact, going to be able to be someone who is not at all intimidated by the president, not at all intimidated walkin' in the White House. And is going to be prepared to give their unvarnished opinion and be able to privately argue with the president if they disagree. I want someone strong. I want someone strong, and someone who can — who is ready to be president on day one."
As people across the country speak out over the death of George Floyd, the presumptive nominee said there is "absolutely" systemic racism in law enforcement, but not just in law enforcement.
"It's in housing, it's in education, and it's in everything we do. It's real. It's genuine. It's serious," Biden said. "Look, not all law enforcement officers are racist; my lord, there are some really good, good cops out there. But the way in which it works right now is we've seen too many examples of it."
Watch more of O'Donnell's exclusive interview with Biden in Tuesday's CBS News primetime special, Justice for All, airing at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and CBSN.