Obama endorses Harris — hours after Trump used him as a reason to back out of debating
- Barack Obama endorsed Kamala Harris in a post early Friday.
- He'd held off on endorsing Harris as many other leading Democrats went ahead.
Former President Barack Obama has announced that he's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 Democratic nomination — just hours after the Trump campaign used Obama's lack of endorsement as a reason for former President Donald Trump to back out of debating Harris.
Obama announced his support of Harris in a video released early on Friday.
It was a joint endorsement with his wife, Michelle Obama.
The video showed a phone conversation between Harris and both Obamas, recorded earlier in the week.
In it, Michelle Obama said: "To my girl Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic."
Following this, Obama said: "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 responded: "I am looking forward to doing this with the two of you."
On Thursday night, before the Obamas' endorsement, the Trump campaign released a statement saying Obama wasn't backing Harris because he thought she was a "Marxist fraud" and couldn't beat Trump and that the 44th president wanted someone "better."
"Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee," Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, wrote in the statement.
"There is a strong sense by many in the Democrat Party - namely Barack Hussein Obama - that Kamala Harris is a Marxist fraud who cannot beat President Trump, and they are still holding out for someone 'better,'" the statement added. "Therefore, it would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds."
Trump had agreed to debate President Joe Biden in September when both men were the presumptive nominees of their parties.
Harris responded by accusing Trump of "backpedaling" on the previously agreed-upon September 10 debate.
"I'm ready, and I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage, and so I'm ready. Let's go," Harris told CNN on Thursday.
After Biden bowed out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Harris to replace him, many Democrats were quick to voice their support of Harris for president.
Obama was notably not one of them.
He did release a statement on Sunday praising Biden's service to the country and his decision to drop out of the race, but it didn't mention Harris.
NBC News reported Obama had privately supported Harris and been in contact with her this week. He waited to publicly back her because he didn't want to overshadow Biden before Wednesday night's Oval Office address, it added.
One person familiar with the matter told the outlet that Obama thought Harris was "off to a great start" with her campaign.
Holding off on an endorsement isn't a new strategy for the former president. In 2020, when Biden — his former vice president — ran for president, he didn't weigh in on the race until Biden was the last candidate standing.
If elected in November, Harris would become the second Black president in US history, after Obama, as well as the first female president and the first president of South Asian descent.