Joe Biden’s swift endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 election has been seen by some within his camp as a defiant message to its party leaders, including ex-US President Barack Obama, who reportedly pressured him to drop out of the race.
Obama reportedly told Biden to allow delegates at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago to decide on a new candidate, the New York Post reported, citing sources close to the Biden family. However, Biden chose to endorse Harris immediately after announcing his withdrawal, which one source described as “Joe’s big f–k you” to Obama and others who wanted him to step aside.
‘If I’m out, then I am…’
“Joe said, ‘If I’m out, then I am endorsing her,'” the source told NYP, suggesting that Biden saw this as a way to assert some control over his ouster. A well-placed Democratic Party source corroborated this sentiment, saying that Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senator Chuck Schumer had wanted to hold a “mini primary” at the convention, which Obama believed Harris would not win. Multiple sources also claimed that Obama had preferred Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as the party’s nominee.
Biden’s endorsement of Harris was seen by one Democratic Party source as “Joe truly knifing Obama and Pelosi in the back for making him stand down.” Biden plans to take an active role in Harris’s campaign, which a Washington insider believes will benefit the Vice President. The relationship between Biden and Obama has been marked by “simmering tensions” since 2015, when the former president convinced Biden not to run for the presidency in 2016, allowing Hillary Clinton to make a bid for the Oval Office, according to reports.
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Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama officially endorsed Harris on Friday, after NBC reported that the former president waited to avoid overshadowing Biden’s televised address to the nation on Wednesday. However, a source close to the Biden family claimed that Obama has little faith in Harris’s abilities, citing her performance as “border czar” and her stance on healthcare for migrants.
The endorsement saga comes amid a backdrop of growing concerns within the Democratic Party about Biden’s ability to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump in the general election. Biden’s performance in a recent debate against Trump was widely criticized, with some Democrats even threatening to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office, according to a source close to the Biden family.
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