Barack Obama Endorses Joe Biden’s Presidential Bid

Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden’s 2020 bid on Tuesday, in the first major foray that the former president has made in the campaign.

“Choosing Joe to be my vice-president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend,” Obama said. “I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now.”

The endorsement came in a 12-minute web video that Obama tweeted on Tuesday morning. Although it is not a surprise — Biden is the last remaining major candidate left in the race for the Democratic nomination — it signals a new phase of the campaign where the former president is playing a more prominent and visible role. Up to now, Obama has largely stayed behind the scenes, meeting with 2020 contenders and occasionally weighing in on some of the issues related to the coronavirus crisis.

“Through all his trials, he’s never once forgotten the values or the moral fiber that his parents passed on to him, and that made him who he is,” Obama said of Biden.

Brad Parscale, campaign manager for President Donald Trump’s reelection bid, said that “now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him.” He said of the Democrats’ presumptive nominee: “President Trump will destroy him.”

In the video, Obama said, “Our country’s future hangs on this election and it won’t be easy. The other side has a massive war chest. The other side has a propaganda network with little regard for the truth. On the other hand, pandemics have a way of cutting through a lot of noise and spin to remind us of what is real, and what is important. This crisis has reminded us that government matters. It’s reminded us that good government matters.”