Former President Barack Obama endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in a video posted to X in the early morning hours on Friday.
The post went live at 5:01 am ET, which meant 2:01 am on the West Coast.
“Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris,” Obama said in the post. “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.”
Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. 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… pic.twitter.com/0UIS0doIbA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2024
The post included a video of Harris walking around with a cell phone as Barack and Michelle Obama gush about her.
“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,” the former president says in the video.
“Oh my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I’m looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both. And getting out there, being on the road,” Harris replied.
Michelle also said she was proud of Harris.
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic,” she told the vice president.
Along with the video, the Obamas also released a joint statement endorsing Harris, according to CNN.
“But Kamala has more than a resume,” the statement said, according to the outlet. “She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands. There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala Harris has exactly what it takes to win this election and deliver for the American people.”
Unlike many Democrats who quickly endorsed Harris following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he was ending his re-election campaign, Obama was noticeably silent for five days. Instead, Obama released a statement following Biden’s announcement: “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
Even though around 14 million Democrat voters chose Biden as their 2024 presidential nominee, the party has adopted rules allowing a remote voting process to select a replacement nominee by August 7. Nearly 2,000 delegates already pledged to Biden – and voted for by the people – have already switched to Harris.
“While this situation is unprecedented, the process we are prepared to undertake is not,” Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore said Monday, according to CNN. “We have important deadlines to meet. We will make sure the process is fair, because, as it stands, no candidate has secured a majority of the delegates to the convention.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison also claimed that this process, which circumvents the will of the voters, “reflects the dedication to democracy our party stands for.”
