Former United States President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for president on Friday, July 26, 2024.
The endorsement came in a roughly one-minute video capturing a private phone call between the Obamas and Harris.
“We called to say 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,” Barack Obama told Harris. Michelle Obama added, “I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.”
Talking into a cell phone and smiling, Harris expressed her gratitude for the endorsement and their long friendship. “Thank you both. It means so much. And we’re gonna have some fun with this too,” Harris said. The campaign confirmed that the video was the actual call, not a reenactment.
Harris’s surprise bid against Republican rival Donald Trump has gained significant support from donors and politicians less than a week after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race amid slumping poll numbers.
Obama, the first Black president of the United States, remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party. His endorsement is expected to energize and sustain fundraising efforts for Harris’s campaign. The endorsement also signals that Obama is likely to actively campaign for Harris once she becomes the presumptive nominee.
Obama initially withheld his endorsement even as Biden, his former vice president, anointed Harris as his heir apparent. Reportedly, Obama did not want to influence the party’s nomination process prematurely.
