WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden in a video on Tuesday.
The endorsement gives the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee a boost from the party’s biggest fundraiser and one of its most popular figures.
Obama and Biden are known to be close friends from their two terms in the White House, and Biden leaned heavily on his affiliation with the former president throughout the Democratic primary, touting their relationship and framing his pitch as an extension of Obama’s presidency.
Recording the message from his Washington, DC home, Obama touted Biden's leadership capabiltiies.
"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. It also has to be reflected in our national government. The kind of leadership that’s guided by knowledge and experience; honesty and humility; empathy and grace – that kind of leadership doesn’t just belong in our state capitols and mayors offices. It belongs in the White House," Obama said.
Obama called Biden an "incredible partner" and said picking him to be his running mate was "one of the best decisions he ever made."
Obama, the most popular politician in the Democatic party, notably did not chose to endorse a candidate early on in the Democratic primary.
Watch Obama's entire endorsement in the tweet below.
I’m proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020
