Joe Biden says family wants him to run—but he's not sure about his 'alleged appeal' as a candidate

Former Vice President Joe Biden said his family unanimously believes he should run for president in 2020, eliminating one of the biggest obstacles that kept him from running in 2016, according to CNN.

Biden decided not to run in 2016 as his family was still mourning the loss of his son, Beau. This time around, he said the family is ready for him to get in the race.

"I'm certain about where the family is," Biden said during a conversation with historian Jon Meacham at the University of Delaware on Tuesday. "But the second piece is that I don't want this to be a fool's errand and I want to make sure that if we do this, and we're very close to getting a decision, that I am fully prepared to do it."

Biden emphasized how difficult he knew it would be running against President Donald Trump, and had concerns about what that could mean for his family.

"It's a very difficult campaign," Biden said. "The primary will be very difficult. And the general election, running against President Trump, I don't think he's likely to stop at anything, whomever he runs against."

Still, Biden isn't ready to officially announce his candidacy. He said he is still concerned with evaluating whether he really has a chance at winning before he decides.

"We are also taking a hard look at whether or not it is this alleged appeal that I have —how deep does it run? Is it real?" Biden said. "I can die a happy man never having lived in the White House, but what I don't want to do is take people's time, effort and commitment without there being a clear shot that I could be the nominee.

"And if we conclude that, I would announce, and I would run for president," he said.

Some early polls have placed Biden as the favorite to win the Democratic primary, even without having announced himself as a candidate.