Biden says 'very close' to announcing if he will run for president

Former US vice president Joe Biden said Friday he was on the cusp of announcing his 2020 plans, acknowledging he was watching his words carefully so as not to "start the clock" on a presidential campaign.

Biden, 76, has been mulling another White House run for several months, and has been inching toward a decision.

But the Delaware Democrat's rollout might have been clouded by revelations from multiple women over the past week that Biden had touched them inappropriately or made them feel uncomfortable.

"I am very close to making a decision," Biden, who is polling as the party's frontrunner despite not officially being in the race, told reporters after a speech to union workers in Washington.

"Even if I knew for certain that I was going to run for president back in Thanksgiving, my intention from the beginning, if I were to run, would be the last person to announce." Asked about the claims made against him and whether more women might come forward with similar allegations, Biden said he "wouldn't be surprised."