US Vice President Joe Biden said he is not sure if he has the emotional energy to run for President as he mulls a bid for the White House in 2016.

Speaking for the first time extensively about a possible run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden told an audience at the Ahavath Achuim Synagogue in Atlanta that he was undecided. The 72-year old, who lost his son Beau, to cancer earlier this year, added that he was not sure if it would be appropriate for him and his family.

I will be straightforward with you, the most relevant factor in my decision is whether my family and I have the emotional energy to run, he said.

Some might think that is not appropriate, but unless I can go to my party and the American people and say I am able to devote my whole heart and my whole soul to this endeavour, it would not be appropriate.

The 72-year-old has been huddling with advisers for weeks to determine whether he will challenge Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who has seen her ratings plummet after her use of a private email server while working as the nations top diplomat.