Former president Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid because he doesn’t think she can beat Donald Trump
Former president Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid because he doesn’t think she can beat Donald Trump.
Former President Barack Obama has not endorsed Kamala Harris's presidential campaign because he doubts her ability to defeat Donald Trump, according to a source close to the Biden family.
After President Biden's unexpected withdrawal from the race on Sunday and his swift endorsement of the Vice President, most of the Democratic elite quickly rallied behind Harris, with Obama being a notable exception.
"Obama's very upset because he knows she can't win," the Biden family source told The Post.
"Obama thinks she's just incompetent—the border czar who never visited the border, saying all migrants should have health insurance. She can't navigate the challenges ahead of her."
"When you're running for president, there are things you can and can't say."
The turning point for Biden, 81, came after his poor performance against Trump in a televised debate in Atlanta last month—which, as The Post first revealed, was part of an "elaborate set-up" to remove him from the race.
But the source isn't optimistic about a TV debate between Trump and Harris. When Biden was still in the race, a second debate was scheduled for September 10.
"Wait until the debate... She can't debate. She's going to put her foot in her mouth about Israel, Palestine, Ukraine. She's going to say something really stupid," the source said.
"Obama knew this was going to happen, Joe knew this was going to happen. Now she has to answer real questions."
The White House did not respond to The Post’s request for comment on this story.
According to the source, Obama's hope was to clear the path for someone else, and an op-ed written by George Clooney in the New York Times asking Biden to step aside was part of that plan.
However, the higher-ups in the Democratic Party didn't anticipate Biden endorsing Harris so quickly, and "Obama was shocked" when the president endorsed her, according to the insider.