“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me,” the statement released Sunday said, adding that Biden helped the country from “four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration.”
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight.For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country — and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow,” he added.
Obama added that he was extraordinarily confident that leaders of the Democratic party will be able to create a process from which an “outstanding nominee emerges” while also holding that the democratic party has to “navigate uncharted waters in the days ahead”.
“And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond.”
Obama has campaigned with his former vice president a couple times this year, but has publicly silent about the calls for President Biden to withdraw from the race, which came amid reporting from several news outlets that Obama was expressing concern behind the scenes about his chances of winning in November.
Interestingly, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has also commended Biden but stopped short of endorsing Kamala, recently was reported as informing her colleagues in the California delegation that if President Biden were to end his campaign, she would push for a “competitive” open primary process, ruling out vice president Kamala Harris as an automatic replacement.
However, most senior democrats have endorsed Kamala Harris after Biden made the call to step aside. The move stems from concerns about the prospects of a new candidate inheriting the already available campaign funding crucial for the election, which makes Kamala Harris a favorite for now.