Former Vice President Joe Biden says in his new book that his late son was “Joe Biden 2.0,” and had the potential to someday be president. 

“Delawareans saw in him what I did: Beau Biden, at age 45, was Joe Biden 2.0.” Biden said reading an excerpt from his new book, “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose.”

Hear Joe Biden reflect on late son Beau Biden’s potential for the presidency in audio clip from new book pic.twitter.com/83ez6gGvoC

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 11, 2017 

Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015, during his father’s second term in the White House. The vice president’s memoir, titled “Promise me, Dad” after a conversation with his late son, tells the story of Beau’s life and his impact on their family. 

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“He was generally regarded as the most popular politician in the state,” Biden, who is the longest-serving senator in Delaware history, said of his son. “More popular than his father. He had all the best of me, but with all the bugs and flaws engineered out.” 

Beau served as Delaware’s Attorney General from 2007 until his death during his second term in office. 

Biden said that he believed his son had enormous political potential, citing Beau’s plans to run for Governor of Delaware in 2016. “I was pretty sure Beau could run for president someday. And with his brother’s help, he could win,” he said. 

Biden’s book is set to release this week. The former vice president has not yet ruled out a presidential run in 2020.