Barack and Michelle Obama on Friday endorsed Kamala Harris for president, capping a whirlwind week in which the vice president all but wrapped up the Democratic nomination to face former President Trump.
The former first couple backed Harris in a 55-second phone call that the newly launched campaign captured on video.
“We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” the former president told Harris.
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you,” Michelle Obama added. “This is going to be historic.”
Harris, who has known the Obamas since before his historic election as the first Black president in 2008, teased that she looks forward to “getting there, being on the road” with the power couple in the three-plus months before Election Day on Nov. 5.
“We’re gonna have some fun with this too, aren’t we?” Harris said.
The Obamas were the last major party figures to formally endorse Harris after Barack Obama initially stuck to paying tribute to President Biden last Sunday over his decision to drop out of the race.
Harris was catapulted into the top spot on the Democratic ticket when Biden stepped aside and endorsed her after a barrage of questions over his age and fitness.
The sitting veep already has secured the public support of a majority of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. The Democratic National Committee expects to hold a virtual nominating vote that would, by Aug. 7, make Harris and a yet-to-be-named running mate the official Democratic ticket.
Before the Obamas weighed in other Democratic leaders including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton already backed Harris.
The power couple will be expected to be a big draw at the DNC, which will serve as a coming-out party for Harris.
Both Obamas delivered key speeches at the Democrats’ convention in 2020, a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former president’s speech was especially notable because he unveiled a full-throated attack on Trump as a threat to democracy, an argument that endures as part of Harris’ campaign.
