Former Vice President Kamala Harris was reportedly “very annoyed” with former President Barack Obama while seeking his endorsement to replace former President Joe Biden on the 2024 Democratic ticket, according to a new book.
“As the hours rolled by, and it became clear that she was well on her way to seizing the nomination by storm, Obama’s opposition to her grew more confounding,” authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes reported. “Harris was ‘very annoyed’ with him, according to a confidant. They had plenty of donors and political allies in common. The rest of the party threw in with her. Where was Obama?”
The newly released book, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, published earlier this month, explores how Kamala Harris rallied support from influential Democrats after President Biden exited the race. According to the authors, former President Obama was initially opposed to Harris stepping in, believing she lacked the ability to defeat Donald Trump. However, Obama spoke with Harris over the next couple of days, according to the book, and he found he was in a position where “his actions against Biden and Harris could diminish him in the eyes of Democratic elites.”
Parnes and Allen noted that Obama’s commitment to the Democratic Party was at stake. A person close to Obama said that “there was a little bit of mending that had to be done,” according to the book. Obama waited five days to formally endorse Harris after Biden exited the race. Following internal discussions about how to best present his endorsement—amid concerns from Harris campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon about fundraising—they ultimately filmed a video of Harris receiving a call from Barack and Michelle Obama, which was later shared online.
“To seem real, Harris had to fake surprise and enthusiasm about what should have been an obvious endorsement from both Obamas. It took days of intense negotiations to strike a deal on the simplest act in politics. The whole frame, including the script, was designed to elevate the Obamas by making it look like she was begging for their blessing. This was typical bulls—,” Allen and Parnes wrote. “But for Harris, the optics of unity had taken on the most importance. So the quality and authenticity of the endorsement took a back seat,” the authors added.
“President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama,” Allen said. “And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats, and he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention. He did not have faith in her ability to win the election.”
