Barack Obama Endorses Joe Biden For President
Former President Barack Obama formally endorsed Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president on Tuesday. In a 12-minute video message shared to Twitter, Obama recommended his former VP as the president America needs in a time of crisis, per CNN.
“Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made and he became a close friend. And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now.”
I’m proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020
Obama remains one of the country’s most popular Democrats, and his reputation as a strong field campaigner will make him a crucial ally in Biden’s campaign against President Donald Trump. While Obama declined to publicly support a nominee during the Democratic primary, his endorsement was something of a foregone conclusion after Biden’s remaining competitor, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, suspended his campaign last week. Sanders officially endorsed Biden in a livestream video with the presumptive Democratic nominee on Monday, per NPR.
Throughout his campaign, Biden has regularly touted himself as the candidate most aligned with Obama, regularly referencing the former president as “my buddy Barack.” On Best Friends Day 2019, Biden joked about the pair’s closeness when he shared a photograph of a friendship bracelet — one with his and Obama’s name on it — to his Twitter account. Despite his strong association with the former president, Biden said on 60 Minutes that he had asked Obama not make an endorsement during the primary, telling correspondent Norah O’Donnell “I want to earn this on my own.”
While Obama hasn’t been publicly involved in the nomination process, he had been active behind the scenes, telling CNN in November that he had spoken to all of the candidates and had given them advice. According to what the former president’s advisers told CNN, Obama had a consistent message for each candidate during their respective campaigns.
“Consider why you believe you should be president, what impact it will have on your family and whether you can actually win.”
In his few comments made during the primary, Obama spoke well of the Democratic field in general, including telling a private party in 2019 that he would lend his support to whoever secured the nomination.
“We have a field of very accomplished, very serious and passionate and smart people who have a history of public service. Whoever emerges from the primary process, I will work my tail off to make sure they are the next president.”
Obama also cited his 2008 primary against Clinton in a defense of the competitive nature of the primary, and warned the candidates against going too far to the left, perhaps alienating voters.
