Calls to the White House
Obama is now involved in Biden’s election campaign
March 27, 2024, 12:40 p.m
In the White House, Barack Obama and Joe Biden presented themselves as close buddies. Later there was a quarrel between the two. Now the ex-president is joining the incumbent’s election campaign – out of fear of a defeat against Trump.
The election is by no means lost. Given the rising poll numbers for the incumbent US President Joe Biden, there are even glimmers of hope. And yet, according to surveys, Donald Trump, Biden’s predecessor in the White House and the designated Republican candidate, is in the lead in several key states. A victory on November 5th is possible.
Now another ex-president is getting involved: Barack Obama, like Biden, a Democrat and Trump’s predecessor in office, regularly calls Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House chief of staff, as well as top advisers to Biden’s election campaign, reports “New York Times”.
How CNN reports, Obama also spent several hours in Biden’s dining room in the White House last Friday, although it was certainly not just a friendly visit. The 62-year-old has made it clear to his employees in recent months that he believes the election will be incredibly close, the US broadcaster quotes Insider. The 2024 election is a moment in which all hands are needed.
Obama has clearly expressed his willingness to help his former vice-president get re-elected, CNN quotes a senior Biden adviser: “He gave generously of his time and made it very clear that he was fully committed to this campaign .”
Videos for the election campaign
Videos with Obama and Biden for the election campaign were also said to have been created at the appointment. “We have the chance to achieve even more. But that’s only possible if we have Joe and [Vizepräsidentin] Kamala [Harris] “We’ll send him back to the White House in November,” Obama says in one of the videos. “So we have to keep working.”
According to the New York Times, Obama is not only interested in supporting Biden, who was his vice president from 2009 to 2017. Citing a high-ranking adviser to Obama, the newspaper writes that Obama is very worried that Biden – unlike four years ago – could lose to Trump.
Obama was “always” worried about Biden losing, the adviser is quoted as saying. That’s why he’s prepared to “fight through” alongside his former vice president in an election that could be close in a handful of states.
Together with former President Bill Clinton, Biden and Obama also want to appear at a large fundraising gala at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. All three presidents will take part in a discussion with moderator Stephen Colbert.
When both were still in the White House, Obama and Biden liked to portray themselves as a dream team – the young, first black president from an elite university and his old, experienced deputy, who always had an ear for average Americans. It didn’t go smoothly at first, but they became friends. Especially after Obama gave an emotional eulogy following the death of Biden’s son Beau.
Distrust has “gone away”
Both also showed humor when they jogged together through the president’s office or philosophized about Obama’s future after the presidency. There were tears at the end when, as one of Obama’s final acts in office, he surprised Biden by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.
But when the vice president wanted to reach for the office of president himself, Obama had doubts. He believed Hillary Clinton would win and advised Biden against it. At the time, Biden also mourned his son Beau, who died on May 30, 2015. According to his own statements, this also stopped him from running for office. Obama stood by his side when he announced in October 2015 that he would not run in the following year’s presidential election – which Clinton ultimately lost to Trump. According to the New York Times, Obama’s lack of support “led to mistrust and lasting resentment among some of Biden’s staff.” He sidelined Biden – who they expected to defeat Trump.
This mistrust has now disappeared, the New York Times quotes employees of the two as saying. They would consider it “urgently necessary for Biden to beat Trump in November.” Biden’s combative State of the Union speech is also said to have contributed to the Obama team’s belief that Biden can win again. “President Biden is ready,” the newspaper quotes from an email from Obama’s alumni group.
In any case, Obama has been supporting Biden since he announced his candidacy again. That includes public fundraising appeals and, according to CNN, lots of conversations to allay concerns among some Democrats about a second Biden term.