Former US President Barack Obama threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House bid on Friday, providing a crucial endorsement in her campaign to unseat Donald Trump in November.
Obama said on social media platform X: “Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic president of the United States and that she has our full support.
“At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you’ll join us.”
As one of the most prominent remaining Democratic figures to do so, the former leader’s endorsement was highly anticipated, especially after President Joe Biden threw his support behind Harris on Sunday, paving the way for her to take his place on the ballot.
The endorsement from Obama is expected to further boost Harris’ campaign, which has already gained significant traction and popularity since her surprise last-minute entry into the race.
Harris, 59, jumped into the election after weeks of turmoil over 81-year-old Biden, who bowed out after a dismal debate performance against Trump accelerated concerns over his mental capacity and persistently low polling numbers.
In a fiery speech to teachers on Thursday, the country’s first female vice president, who aims to break new ground in November, unleashed a scathing critique of Trump and his ‘extremist’ GOP allies.
Meanwhile, Trump seemed caught off balance, declining to debate Harris until she secures the Democratic nomination, deeming it ‘inappropriate’ for now.
Mr. Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, suggested that Democrats might reconsider their decision, saying, ‘Democrats very well could still change their minds’.
Meanwhile, Harris, a former California prosecutor, taunted her opponent on X, asking, ‘What happened to “any time, any place”?
She had previously said of a potential September 10 face-off: “I’m ready. So let’s go.”
At the American Federation of Teachers’ convention in Houston, Harris received a warm welcome from the union that first endorsed her, as she sounded the alarm on Trump’s Republicans launching a ‘full-on attack’ on fundamental rights.
She highlighted the stark contrast between educators’ efforts to promote democracy and safety and extremists’ attempts to undermine voting rights and perpetuate gun violence.
Harris delivered her speech amid escalating verbal attacks from Trump, who on Wednesday labelled her a ‘radical left lunatic’ and made the entirely baseless claim that she supports the ‘execution’ of newborn babies.
At 78, Trump, the oldest US presidential nominee in history, has vowed to withhold all federal funding from schools that implement vaccine mandates, a policy currently in place in every public school across the country.
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