Clinton: Focused on own campaign, not Biden decision

"I'm going to stay focused on my campaign, what I can do, what I'm telling the American people what I think needs to happen, and I'll leave anybody else's existing or potential campaign to them," Clinton said Wednesday in an interview with WRAL News.

Biden is widely seen as the biggest threat to Clinton in the Democratic field, which now includes U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia.

Pundits have said that Clinton's performance in the first debate among the Democratic candidates on Tuesday might have solidified her position and made it less likely for a Biden candidacy.

"I am a friend of and a former colleague of the vice president. He deserves whatever time and space he needs to make what is a consequential decision," she said. "I was thinking on the stage (Tuesday) night about what I want to do as president, how I would tackle the big problems that American families are facing and that our nation is facing around the world."

Clinton also spoke in the interview about the need for continued dialogue to bring a halt to violence in Israel, her desire to meet with gun rights groups to develop ideas on keeping firearms out of the hands of mentally ill people and her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.