Politics

Biden could be a 'pretty serious' Trump opponent, but Democrats won't go there, Reince Priebus says

Key Points
  • Joe Biden could be a "pretty serious" candidate to challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential elections, former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said on Wednesday.
  • But the Democrats won't go there, he said, adding that the party seems to currently prefer more left-leaning candidates such as Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden
Jacob Pramuck | CNBC

Former Vice President Joe Biden could be a "pretty serious" candidate to challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race — but the Democrats won't go that direction, Reince Priebus said Wednesday.

"The problem they have is they're moving to the left, they're not staying in the center," the former White House chief of staff said in a speech at the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong.

"So, if they have a candidate like say, Joe Biden — well, he could be a pretty serious candidate, but the Democrats are not embracing the Joe Bidens of the world," Priebus said.

Instead, the Democrats like more left-leaning candidates such as Bernie Sanders, which may make it hard for certain segments of the American population to support the party, he added.

Without any clear favorite so far, the Democrats could find themselves in a similar situation to what the Republican Party experienced in 2016, when the GOP had 17 candidates vying for nomination, he said.

Trump, meanwhile, would likely not face any "significant challenge" in winning his second nomination to run in the 2020 election, Priebus predicted.