Joe Biden has hinted in the past that he wished he would have taken the leap and run for President of the United States in 2016. With his son’s death, and his family’s grief after that tragic loss, he has also admitted that it wouldn’t have been proper timing and that in the end he truly believes he made the right decision. But that belief seems to be wavering lately, as Biden has alluded to the fact that he believes he could have beaten Trump if he were given the chance, and that he would have loved to have been the president who was in office when cancer (which took the life of his son) was cured. Wouldn’t we all, Joe!

So while at the SALT Conference in Las Vegas, which is “committed to facilitating balanced discussions and debates on macro-economic trends and geo-political events,” Biden made a major statement — going farther than he has before. No, not that he’s apparently best friends with Jewel now…

…or that he is getting an ice cream flavor after him at Cornell University.

No, Biden announced that not only does he regret not running for president but that “I never thought she was the Correct candidate. I thought I was the correct candidate.”

It’s as assertive as Biden has ever been about his perceived chances in an election that is long over and done with. If he keeps going on like this — especially considering he basically launched a test campaign to gauge public interest before deciding whether he actually wanted to file the paperwork — he’s going to sound a lot like the person who is sitting in the Oval Office right now. Careful Joe, everyone still loves you as everything stands but maybe don’t push it.