Barack Obama has released a statement supporting President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, but stopped short of endorsing Biden’s choice of successor, Kamala Harris.
In a long statement posted to Medium, Obama praised Biden as “one of America’s most consequential presidents” and said his decision to remove himself from proceedings reminds us “that he’s a patriot of the highest order.”
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight,” Obama wrote.
“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.”
There was one notable omission from the statement, however: support for Biden’s chosen successor, Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris has already received support from the Clintons as well as President Biden himself, but Barack Obama’s refusal to get behind the Vice President strongly suggests that his wife, Michelle, is going to throw her hat into the race.
Instead of a straight endorsement, Obama chose a more enigmatic message, saying, “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges”
Here’s Obama’s statement in full:
“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded—again—that he’s a patriot of the highest order.
“Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character—his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts.
“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.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond.”
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