Barack Obama has officially announced his support for the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.
Together with the 44th president, the former first lady, Michelle Obama, also made her public support for Harris known.
The call for support from the Obamas was made public by Harris’s campaign officials.
“I can’t make this call without telling my girl, Kamala: I’m proud of you,” Michelle is heard saying to a smiling Harris. “This will all be historic.”
For his part, Barack Obama noted: “We called to say that Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder of our support and we will do everything we can to help you succeed in this election and get into the Oval Office.”
After Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the campaign, Obama had remained silent about his intentions regarding the individual whom the American president had designated as his successor.
This stance had been interpreted by many as a sign of Obama’s preference for an open contest to select the Democratic candidate at the convention in August in Chicago.
However, according to NBC’s reports, citing individuals with knowledge of the discussions, Obama had expressed his full support for Harris’s candidacy in private conversations and had been in regular contact with her.
It is noted that last Sunday, when Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race, Obama issued a statement praising the outgoing president, without openly supporting Kamala Harris’s candidacy.
Since then, dozens of top Democratic Party officials, including the Clintons and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have publicly voiced their support for the 59-year-old Harris.
Source: Guardian