Washington: Vice President Joe Biden cast doubt on a potential bid for the White House bid late Thursday, in an emotional television interview that delved into his faith and grief at the loss of his son Beau.

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When talk show host Stephen Colbert asked Biden whether he had an announcement to make, the vice president said "yes," keeping the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York on edge.

"I think you should run for president and I`ll be your vice president," Biden told Colbert, who ran a mock campaign for president in 2012.

Colbert had Biden as a guest on his third night hosting CBS television`s "Late Show," after nine years of political satire at "The Colbert Report."

Biden said he still has times when he breaks down because of the May death of his son Beau, "and you can`t do that" during a campaign for the White House.

Colbert said he was no stranger to grief himself, having lost his father and two brothers in a plane crash when he was just 10 years old, and urged Biden to give it a try anyway.

"It`s going to be emotional for a lot of people if you don`t run," Colbert said.

"Your example of suffering and service is something that would be sorely missed in the race."

Biden, in turn, recalled how he broke down when he greeted military service members and their relatives in Denver, Colorado, and one of them said he had served with Beau Biden in Iraq.

"I just lost it," Biden said.

Turning to religion, Biden said his Catholic faith had provided him an "enormous sense of solace."