Pittsburgh crowd encourages Joe Biden to run for president

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Joe Biden given a rapturous welcome by Pittsburgh steelworkers at rally
The Vice President gave a rousing speech blaming America's ills on stagnant wages and an unfair tax code that favors the wealthy
Biden, who is still grieving his son, Beau, jogged through the crowd
Biden's popularity numbers are on par with Trump's

By Kiri Blakeley For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 13:35 EST, 7 September 2015 | Updated: 15:58 EST, 7 September 2015

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Hearing chants of 'run Joe, run,' Vice President Joe Biden marched in Pittsburgh's annual Labor Day parade on Monday as speculation swirled about a potential entry into the Democratic presidential campaign.

The vice president donned a black-and-gold United Steelworkers union hat and told hundreds of union members that the gap between the wealthy and poor was hurting the nation.

The 72-year-old exuberantly jogged through the crowd of supportive well-wishers, who were urging him to join the race for president.

'Give it a go, Joe!' shouted one woman.

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Vice President Joe Biden revved up the crowd at a steelworkers union event in Pittsburgh on Sunday

Biden was greeted with shouts of 'Run, Joe, run!' encouraging him to run for president

Recent polls suggest that those who are abandoning Hillary Clinton back Biden for president, according to CNN.

But Biden deflected questions as to whether or not he would enter the fray, only saying 'I am definitely going to run part of this parade, I feel like I am home right now.'

But he had much more to say in his speech in front of the union.

'It used to be when productivity went up in America, everybody got a chance to share,' said Biden. 'They got a piece of the action... Why in God's name should a man or a woman working in a steel mill make $50,000 a year when someone on Wall Street makes millions of dollars a year?'

In introducing Biden for his speech, Trumka and United Steelworkers union chief Leo Gerard gave strong praise to Biden, who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The adoring crowd flocked around the sprightly 72-year-old, who is still reeling from his son Beau's death in May, but who looked happy and healthy at the rally

Fans clamored for selfies with the VP, who tends to be known for his verbal gaffes

'He has never let us down,' said Gerard.

Biden, in his speech, said the tax code is to blame for the rich getting a bigger piece of the economic pie.

'The tax code's not fair. It's simply not fair,' Biden said in a city long associated with organized labor. 'The wealthy aren't paying their fair share. There used to be one America.'

Biden greeted United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard (right) who said Biden has never let steelworkers down

Biden was cagey about whether he would run for POTUS but he had no issue with jogging through the streets of Pittsburgh

When asked point-blank by young local business owner Chris Fuget asked whether he would announce a 2016 run, the Vice President coyly said, 'I haven't made that decision yet,' according to CNN.

There was some disappointment in the crowd that he didn't throw his hat into the ring.

'We thought today might have been the day,' said Pittsburgh union worker Jack Gaffrey.

'It's hope,' the VP said about the enthusiastic response the crowd gave him

His entry could jumble a Democratic contest that has seen front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton's lead diminish in early states against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a democratic socialist.

Biden, however, said last week he wasn't certain if he and his family had the 'emotional energy' for another campaign. Biden's eldest son, Beau, died of brain cancer in May.

Biden blamed America's ills on the tax code which favors the wealthy as well as low and stagnant wages

But AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who walked the parade route with Biden, said the vice president got a strong response from the city's workers.

'If you're looking for energy, this is a great place to get energy today,' the labor leader said.

Asked what he made of the overwhelmingly warm response Pittsburgh gave him, he replied, 'It's hope.'

'I am definitely going to run part of this parade,' Biden said and then made good his promise

In a new NBC/Marist poll of New Hampshire primary voters released on Sunday, Biden had support from 16 percent of Democratic voters.

That's half the total of Clinton, who herself trailed front runner Sanders by nine points in New Hampshire, a state where Bill and Hillary Clinton have deep ties.

In Iowa, Clinton saw her lead over Sanders decline by half and now leads him by 37 percent to 20 precent with Biden at 20 percent.

But Biden still isn't as quite popular as GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.

The reality star billionaire beats him by a narrow margin in a new national poll 44 percent to 42 percent, according to SurveyUSA.