Obama, wife endorse Kamala Harris for U.S. presidency

Former United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for president.

The endorsement was disclosed via a roughly one-minute video that captured a private phone call between the couple and Harris.

Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, July 26, 2024, Obama wrote: “Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support.

“At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you’ll join us.”

“We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama told Harris.

“I am proud of you. This is going to be historic,” the former first lady told Harris.

Talking into a cell phone and cracking a few smiles, the vice president expressed her gratitude for the endorsement and their long friendship.

Poll: Harris leads Trump in U.S. presidential race

“Thank you both. It means so much. And we’re gonna have some fun with this too,” Harris said.

The campaign said the video was the actual call, not a reenactment.

Harris’s surprise bid against Republican rival Donald Trump continues to gain steam from supporters, donors and politicians less than a week after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race amid slumping poll numbers.

Obama, the first U.S. Black president, remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic party even after more than a decade has passed since he was last elected.

Obama has lent his support to Biden during big-money fundraisers, which were among some of the biggest blockbuster events of his campaign, Reuters reports.

The endorsement could help activate and sustain energy and fundraising for Harris’ campaign and it signals he is likely to get on the campaign trail for Harris once she is officially the presumptive nominee.

Obama initially withheld his endorsement even as Biden, his former vice president, anointed her as his heir apparent. Obama reportedly did not want to put his thumb on the scale as the party worked through the process of determining its nominee.

The Star