Former President Barack Obama has formally endorsed Joe Biden to be the next president of the United States. Obama made the announcement on Tuesday, posting a nearly 12-minute video on YouTube detailing his decision.
“If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it’s that the spirit of looking out for one another can’t be restricted to our homes, or our workplaces, or our neighborhoods, or our houses of worship,” Obama says in the announcement. “It also has to be reflected in our national government.”
The former commander in chief goes on to say that Biden represents the type of leadership that’s guided by “knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace” before asserting that those qualities are what’s needed in the White House.
The announcement marks the first time Obama has shown public support for a specific candidate during the 2020 election season. In the running were a number of close associates like Elizabeth Warren, whom he appointed to be the assistant to the president and special advisor to the secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Julian Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary during the Obama administration. Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick is also said to be a close family friend.
“We have a field of very accomplished, very serious and passionate and smart people who have a history of public service,” Obama said at a fundraiser in late 2019. “Whoever emerges from the primary process, I will work my tail off to make sure they are the next president.”
It appears that the well-respected leader is ready to do just that. And Biden, who has often touted his friendship with the former president during his campaign, is more than happy to have his support. In a tweet, the presumptive Democratic nominee said, “Barack—This endorsement means the world to Jill and me. We’re going to build on the progress we made together, and there’s no one I’d rather have standing by my side.”