Barack and Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination, announcing the news in a joint phone call.
A video released by the campaign indicates that the former president and first lady called Harris on Thursday while the vice president was in Houston, where she spoke to the American Federation of Teachers and received a briefing on recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl.
In a 55-second video of the call, Barack Obama is heard telling Harris: “We called to say that Michelle and I could not be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to help you get through this election and into the Oval Office.”
“This will be a historic event,” Michelle Obama told Harris.
The promotional video will put an end to the questionable narrative presented by New York Post That Barack Obama was withholding his support for Harris because of doubts about her ability to win the election. mail The New York Times published a story on Thursday in which an anonymous Biden family source said: “Obama is very upset because he knows she can’t win.”
Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung cited the report in a statement announcing Trump’s withdrawal from the debate with Harris, suggesting the party may choose to replace her on the ticket. (Trump had previously promised to debate Harris “anytime, anywhere.”)
Obama backed away from endorsing Biden so as not to overshadow his address to the nation Wednesday night, sources told NBC News. The Oval Office address was the president’s first public appearance since announcing his withdrawal from the campaign. “I respect this office, but I love my country more,” Biden said.
Despite the dramatic shift in her role, Harris’s first few days as Biden’s successor have been auspicious. ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s leading fundraising platform, received more than $81 million in donations in the 24 hours after Biden’s announcement, a figure that has since surpassed $100 million.
Barack Obama had previously issued a statement addressing Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, without endorsing any candidate. “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process through which an outstanding candidate can emerge,” he said at the time.
Prominent Democratic lawmakers, leaders and former presidents rushed to back the vice president in the hours after Biden endorsed Harris, shortly after he announced he would suspend his reelection bid on Sunday. Bill and Hillary Clinton followed Biden in their endorsements, and over the past four days the vast majority of the party has coalesced around Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
In the video of the phone call between the Obamas, Harris thanks the couple for their endorsement and hints at the former president and first lady's plans to appear on the campaign trail to advocate for her. “I look forward to doing this with you two, Doug and I together. And getting out there, being on the road,” she says.
“But most of all, I just want to let you know that the words you've said and the friendship you've offered over all these years mean more than I can express,” Harris adds.
The endorsement comes just five days after Harris took the lead on the campaign, and one day after Harris released her campaign launch video. The ad featured Beyoncé's 2016 single “Freedom” as the backing track.
“Freedom isn’t just about living, it’s about moving forward. Freedom to be safe from gun violence. Freedom to make decisions about our own bodies. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty, where we can all afford health care, where no one is above the law,” the vice president narrates throughout the song. “We believe in the promise of America and we’re ready to fight for it. Because when we fight, we win.”
