Barack Obama endorses Kamala Harris for US president

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have thrown their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency, as revealed in a brief video released by the Harris campaign on Friday.

In the 55-second clip, the vice president is seen walking backstage at an event, heading toward her motorcade, when she takes a phone call on speaker.

“Aww, hi, you’re both together! Oh, it’s good to hear you both” Harris says warmly.

Michelle Barack Obama responds, “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala: I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.”

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

Harris expresses her gratitude for their friendship and enthusiasm, adding, “We’re going to have some fun with this.”

The highly anticipated endorsements quash any doubts that Harris, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, would lack the backing of the most popular figures in Democratic politics.

Speculation had arisen due to the timing of the Obamas’ endorsement, which came a few days after other key party figures publicly supported Harris, following President Joe Biden’s July 21 announcement that he would not seek reelection.

Reports this week indicated that Barack Obama has been in regular communication with Harris, providing guidance on rapidly building her campaign infrastructure, utilizing the resources of the former Biden campaign.

Both Obamas are expected to actively campaign for Harris, helping to energize Democratic voters who are already showing enthusiasm for her candidacy.

The Obamas are also slated for prominent speaking roles at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this August, the party’s first in-person convention since 2016.

The Harris campaign’s rapid momentum in its initial five days is nearly unprecedented in modern politics. Within 24 hours of Biden’s withdrawal, the campaign and the Democratic party raised $81 million, with 500,000 of the donors being first-time contributors to Harris’s presidential bid.

Harris has also quickly closed Biden’s polling gap with former President Donald Trump, trailing by just one point according to the New York Times’ polling average late Thursday.

The Obamas’ endorsement was notably presented in a semi-casual video of a private phone call, diverging from the traditional format of formal endorsements. Typically, such endorsements are released as written statements or tweets, filled with elaborate praise for the candidate. This video, however, aligns with the Harris campaign’s emerging political style, which emphasizes personal relationships, eschews formality, and embraces authenticity.

Kamala Harris has no public events scheduled for Friday. She is expected to campaign in Georgia early next week, a state where her candidacy may reinvigorate Democratic electoral hopes.