VIDEO: Joe Biden Weighs in on 2016 Presidential Bid: 'I Just Don't Know'

"If I can reach that conclusion that we can do it ... I will not hesitate to do it," Joe Biden said of running for president in 2016

Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty

Joe Biden still has some soul-searching to do.

The vice president publicly discussed his potential presidential run for the first time during a lecture at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta Thursday night, saying, “The honest to God answer is I just don’t know.”

Biden, 72, who is still grieving the recent death of his son Beau Biden, added that he was unsure whether he and his family would have the “emotional energy” for another campaign.

But he’s not entirely ruling out a 2016 run.

“If I can reach that conclusion that we can do it in a fashion that would still make it viable, I will not hesitate to do it,” he said. “I have to be honest with you … I can’t look you straight in the eye and say now I know I can do it.”

Why Does President Obama Have Royal Envy?

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton declined to comment on Biden’s intentions during an MSNBC interview with Andrea Mitchell Friday, saying, “I’m not going to address any of the political questions around my friend Joe Biden. He has to make a really difficult decision. You can see him struggling with it, and I just wish the best for him and his family.”

“If he gets into this race, there’ll be plenty of time to get into the debate and the back and forth, but I think everyone should give him the space and respect he deserves to make what is a very difficult choice for him and his family,” Clinton added.

Although Biden’s aides have said his decision could come as late as October, the vice president said Thursday, “There’s no way to put a timetable on this.”