Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid on Friday in a roughly one-minute video capturing a private phone call between the couple and the current vice president.
“We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama told Harris.
“I am proud of you. This is going to be historic,” the former first lady added.
Talking into a cell phone and smiling, Harris expressed her gratitude for the endorsement and their long friendship.
“Thank you both. It means so much. And we’re gonna have some fun with this too,” Harris said.
The campaign confirmed the video was an actual call, not a reenactment.
Harris’s surprise bid against Republican rival Donald Trump has gained momentum from supporters, donors, and politicians less than a week after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race amid slumping poll numbers.
Obama, the first Black president of the US, remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic party even more than a decade after his last election.
Obama has previously supported Biden during major fundraisers, which were among the most significant events of his campaign.
The endorsement could help energize and sustain fundraising for Harris’ campaign and indicates Obama may join the campaign trail for Harris once she becomes the presumptive nominee.
Obama initially withheld his endorsement even as Biden, his former vice president, anointed her as his heir apparent. Obama reportedly did not want to influence the party’s process of determining its nominee.
