“She will be a fantastic president” –

“Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her that we think she will be a fantastic president of the United States and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we will do everything we can to ensure she wins in November. We hope you will join us.” With this post on X, Barack Obama announces that he and his wife Michelle are endorsing Kamala Harris ahead of the November presidential election. Obama attached a video of the phone call he made to Harris to declare this support.

In the video, you can see Kamala Harris answering a phone call on her smartphone. The first to speak on the other end of the phone is Barack Obama, then Michelle Obama also greets the US vice president: “Ah, you’re both together, it’s nice to hear you both,” says Harris. The former first lady tells her: “I can’t have this call without telling my little girl Kamala ‘I’m proud of you.’ This is going to be historic.” At that point in the video, which also shows Harris, you can hear Barack Obama: “Michelle and I couldn’t be more proud to support you and do everything we can to make sure you make it in this election and all the way to the Oval Office.” Harris’ response: “Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I can’t wait to do this with you two, Doug and I together. To go out there, be in the streets. But most of all, the words you’ve spoken and the friendship you’ve given over all these years mean more than I can express. So thank you both. It means so much. And we’re going to have some fun with it, right?” The video ends with the words ‘Harris for president’ written in white on a blue background.

Video on this topic

The support of America’s two most popular Democrats was expected but is nonetheless crucial. The fact that Barack Obama is perhaps the last prominent figure in the party to formally endorse Harris seems to reflect the former US president’s desire to remain, at least publicly, a behind-the-scenes ‘doyen’ of the party. The Obamas continue to attract huge fundraisers and Harris has known them since before Barack was elected to the White House in 2008. The Obamas’ endorsement comes as Harris continues to gain momentum as a likely Democratic nominee in the November 5 presidential election, following US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race and endorse her as a challenger to face Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump at the polls. The Obamas’ support for Harris underscores not only their friendship but also a potentially historic bond between the first African-American president of the United States and the eventual first female US president, as well as the first person of Asian descent to hold the vice presidency and, if she wins, the presidency. According to an Associated Press survey, Harris has already secured the public support of a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) plans to hold a virtual vote for the nomination, which should make Harris the Democratic nominee by Aug. 7.