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Barack Obama has done his best to stay out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but now the former president is throwing his endorsement behind the man who spent eight years by his side in the White House.
On Tuesday, April 14, Obama shared a video officially putting his endorsement behind former Vice President Joe Biden.
“Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery,” Obama said. “I’m so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States. 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.
“Joe’s candid, honest counsel made me a better president and a better commander in chief. All of this makes him the finest vice president we have ever seen. The best part is he’s nowhere close to finished.”
Biden responded to the endorsement on social media saying, “Barack — This endorsement means the world to Jill and me. We’re going to build on the progress we made together, and there’s no one I’d rather have standing by my side.”
The endorsement comes just over a week after Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced he would be suspending his campaign which cleared the way for Biden to win the Democratic nomination. Following his withdrawal from the race, Sanders also threw his support behind Biden.
Biden has now received critical endorsements from Obama, Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris.
