Barack Obama announced his support for Kamala Harris’ presidential candidacy in the United States

Mercosur Press

Washington.-Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama on Friday endorsed Kamala Harris for the US presidency in a roughly minute-long video that captures a private phone call between the couple and the current vice president.

“We’re calling to tell you that Michelle and I couldn’t be more proud to stand behind you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama told Harris.

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

Speaking on a cellphone and cracking a few smiles, Harris expressed gratitude for the support and their long-standing friendship. “Thank you both. It means a lot to me. And we’re going to have fun with this, too,” Harris said.

Harris’ surprise bid to challenge Republican rival Donald Trump continues to win supporters, donors and politicians alike, less than a week after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race amid a slump in the polls.

Obama, the first black president of the United States, remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party even after more than a decade since his last election.

Obama has lent his support to Biden at high-profile fundraisers that have been among the highest-grossing of his campaign.

The endorsement could help ignite and sustain energy and fundraising for Harris’s campaign and shows that she is likely to campaign for Harris once she is officially the nominee.

Initially, Obama did not endorse the candidate, even though Biden, his former vice president, had proclaimed her his successor. Obama did not want to influence the party while it was working on the process of determining its candidate.

In the video, which is less than a minute long, the Obamas’ faces are not visible, but the couple’s voices can be heard in a telephone conversation with Harris. “We’re calling to say that Michelle and I couldn’t be more proud to support you and do everything we can to help you get through this election and into the Oval Office,” the former president can be heard saying in the spot.

In less than a week since President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, Harris has received the support of major Democratic heavyweights, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and every Democratic governor in the country – some of whom were rumored to be potential candidates. However, all eyes were on Obama, who, until now, had only had words of support for Biden’s work and his decision to withdraw from the presidential race.

“’The sacred cause of this country is bigger than any of us.’ Joe Biden has stood by these words time and again throughout a lifetime of service to the American people. Thank you, President,” Obama wrote on Wednesday in X, after the current president gave his first statements to explain his decision to end his reelection campaign.

Harris has already secured the delegate support needed to clinch the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August and her campaign has set a fundraising record.Infobae.