Vice President Joe Biden will meet with AFL-CIO Richard Trumka later Thursday, further fueling talk that he may enter the White House race.
A Democratic official confirmed the meeting to CNN on condition of anonymity because the meeting is private. The meeting comes as Democratic Party leaders are meeting in Minneapolis, with the prospect of a Biden run has the potential to split the party.
The AFL-CIO has yet to endorse a candidate.
Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a key figure in Iowa Democratic politics who has endorsed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, told the New York Times Wednesday that Biden shouldn’t take the plunge. He recommended, instead, that Biden would be strong in a Clinton administration as secretary of state or ambassador the United Nations.
“He has served the country so well and been a good friend of mine — I love Joe,” Harkin told the Times. “I just don’t think this would be a wise move.”
If he did enter the field, Biden would likely shake up the network of Democratic donors who helped carry President Barack Obama into the White House, twice. The Washington Post reported that many Obama donors who are now with Clinton would consider jumping ship, but a Reuters survey of Democratic donors found strong support for Clinton.