Former President Barack Obama has not publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, citing his belief that she is unlikely to defeat Donald Trump, according to a source familiar with the Biden family. In the wake of President Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the race and his swift support for Vice President Kamala Harris, the majority of Democratic leaders have swiftly rallied behind her candidacy. However, Obama stands out as a notable exception thus far, the New York Post reports.
“Obama’s very upset because he knows she can’t win,” the Biden family source told The Post. “Obama knows she’s just incompetent — the border czar who never visited the border, saying that all migrants should have health insurance. She cannot navigate the landmines that are ahead of her. When you are running for president, there are things you can and can’t say.”
The turning point for Biden, at 81 years old, occurred following his disastrous performance against Trump in a televised debate in Atlanta last month, which The Post first disclosed was part of an “elaborate set-up” designed to remove him from the race. However, the source does not hold high expectations for a televised debate between Trump and Harris. When Biden was still in the race, a second debate was scheduled for September 10. That said, Fox News has reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns and has offered to host a debate between the two.
“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 told The Post. “Obama knew this was going to happen, Joe knew this was going to happen. Now she is going to have to answer real questions.”
According to the source, Obama’s goal was to remove Biden from the equation, and George Clooney’s op-ed in the New York Times, urging Biden to step down, was a component of this strategy. However, the senior figures within the Democratic Party did not anticipate Biden’s immediate endorsement of Harris. “Obama was shocked” when the president backed her, as the insider revealed to The Post.
After Biden was removed from office, Obama, who did not respond to a request for comment from The Post on Wednesday, expressed a desire for Arizona senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly to be positioned as the leading candidate at the Democratic National Convention next month, according to the source. Obama is “furious” that things haven’t gone his way, “which is why he is not joining in the Democratic Party’s support of Harris,” the Biden source continued.
Another well-placed Democratic source told the outlet as well: “Obama being surprised by a smart political decision actually makes sense when coupled with his personal inability to see politics beyond his singular, immediate interests. Obama always thinks he is the smartest and coolest guy in the room. He’s friends with George Clooney, after all.”
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