United States: After days of conjecture, Barack Obama has officially backed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic contender for president.
In a joint statement, former First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama expressed their belief that Harris possesses the “vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands”.
According to reports, Harris spoke with over 100 notable Democrats, including Obama, following President Joe Biden’s announcement last Sunday that he was withdrawing from the race.
Obama wasn’t directly backing Harris in the statement he made at the time, but he did applaud Biden’s resignation.
The US vice president has secured majority support from Democratic delegates, setting her up to be the official nominee at the August party convention.
In a statement released on Friday, the Obamas stated that they were “more thrilled to endorse” Senator Harris. They committed themselves to doing “everything we can” to help her win.
In the days following Biden’s withdrawal from the race, Harris has conducted several campaign rallies across the United States.
She spoke to the Houston-based American Federation of Teachers union on Thursday. Despite being advertised as a component of her vice-presidential responsibilities, the event had the feel of a political rally, complete with enthusiastic clapping from the crowd.
Reiterating remarks from previous this week’s campaign events, Harris criticized “extremist” Republicans and “failed” policies.
In the meantime, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president, kept changing course to attack his new opponent.
He declared that Ms. Harris was the “most incompetent” vice president in history and promised to defeat her on Friday night at a meeting hosted by the conservative Turning Point USA organization in Florida. She would be “the most extreme radical liberal president in American history” if elected, he said.
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