Joe Biden announces he is not running for president

Vice President Joe Biden has announced that he is not running for president, ending months of speculation about whether he would challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination on Wednesday afternoon October 21 at the White House Rose Garden with his wife Jill and President Barack Obama at his side.

"While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent," the 72-year-old politician said. "I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation."

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are widely acknowledged to be the top two democratic candidates for President. Donald Trump and Ben Carson are leading the polls for the republican nomination.