Former Vice President Joe Biden has officially jumped into the 2020 presidential race, becoming the 20th candidate to enter the Democratic primary field after months of speculation.

Biden made the announcement in a campaign video that focused heavily on the events in Charlottesville, and President Trump's response in the aftermath, calling the upcoming general election a "battle for the soul of this nation."

"He said there were, 'some very fine people on both sides.' With those words, the President of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it. And in that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime," Biden said.

"The core values of this nation, our standing in the world, our very democracy, everything that has made America, America, is at stake."

Later today, Biden will attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia. On Friday, he will appear on The View, and will hold his first official campaign event in Pittsburgh on Monday, before kicking off a tour through the swing states.

Biden has been atop the crowded Democratic primary field ahead of the announcement he will run, but his favorability rating has begun to dip slightly in the wake of several women coming forward to say they were made uncomfortable by the familiar liberties he took with them during their meetings with him. Biden said he will be more "mindful and respectful of people's personal space" going forward.

He will now face the scrutiny that all candidates must endure, and despite having already run for president unsuccessfully twice, it is likely his centrist roots will be more closely examined this time, contrasted against an increasingly progressive field of candidates.

Biden has already received endorsements from Senators Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Chris Coons of Delaware.

Former Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill released a statement praising Biden, and highlighting his importance to the former president.

Obama has yet to endorse any of the candidates, with someone close to him saying he is "excited" by the growing field, but is "unlikely" to come out in support of any one candidate so early in the primary season, CNN reports.

President Trump mockingly responded to the news on Twitter.