Politics How President Biden's Mother Encouraged Him to Be Obama’s Running Mate: 'He Says He Needs You' Biden said his mother, Catherine Finnegan, was the first person he called after Obama asked him to consider being his vice president By Virginia Chamlee Virginia Chamlee Virginia Chamlee is a Politics Writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE for three years. Her work has previously appeared in The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Eater, and other outlets. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 20, 2023 11:39AM EST Close Joe Biden, Catherine Finnegan. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty; PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty When it came time to consider being Barack Obama's running mate, Joe Biden took advice from one of his closest confidantes: his mom. In a new interview with Conan O’Brien for his SiriusXM podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, the president said his mother, Catherine Finnegan, was the first person he called after Obama asked him to consider being his vice president during the 2008 campaign. Conan O'Brien interviews Joe Biden. White House Photo by Adam Schultz "I called her and I said, 'The President asked me to consider being Vice President. I don't want to do that.' I said, Barack, 'I don't wanna be Vice President.' Finally, he said, 'Well, damn it's only you,' " Biden, 81, told O'Brien. Biden continued: "And so he said, 'Go home and talk it over to your family.' I was on the train. It was when he became the de facto nominee in August. So I go home, sit everybody down. Everybody wants me to do it. I didn't want to do it." It was his mom, Biden says, who ultimately convinced him to accept. Joe Biden Says He’s Jealous of Conan O'Brien's Hair: 'I'd Trade You Right Now If You Want' "I looked at my mom who was living with me because my dad had passed, and she said, 'Joey, let me get to something. Remember I called you and I asked you about what kind of guy he was and you said he was honest and smart?' I said, 'Yeah.' 'Let me get this straight, honey. The first black man has a chance to be President, he says he needs you, and you told him no?' " Biden continued: "I said, 'Whoa.' Anyway, there's a picture of my mom when she wasn't even supposed to be out with a million people out in Chicago when we got announced and walked out. She walks off the stage and there's a picture of her grabbing Barack's hand, she says, 'Come on honey, it's gonna be okay.' " Biden and Obama ultimately spent eight years together in the White House from 2009 to 2017, when Obama was president and Biden was his vice president. Barack Obama, Joe Biden. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Now that the latter has taken over as the country's commander-in-chief, the two still communicate regularly, with Biden using their relationship as a template for the one with his own vice president, Kamala Harris. Speaking to PEOPLE for a 2021 cover story, Biden said, "I made the same deal with her that Barack and I made," referring to how Obama famously told Biden he would figure prominently in decision-making in the White House. "When Barack and I were working out our relationship early on, he said, 'Do you have any requests?' And I said, 'Well just one: I get to be the last person in the room on every important decision," Biden said. "Not because you have to listen [or] do what I want. You make the decision.' " The full presidential interview airs Dec. 20 at 8 a.m. EST on SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Radio (channel 104), and will be available on the SiriusXM app or wherever you get your podcasts.