Washington, July 26: Kamala Harris will be a “fantastic President of the United States,” former president Barack Obama said on Friday, as he and his wife Michelle endorsed her and vowed to do “everything we can” to enable her to win the high-stakes elections against Donald Trump in November.
Harris, 59, launched her presidential campaign hours after President Joe Biden said he would be forgoing his bid for a second term.
The decision came after Biden faced weeks of mounting pressure to step aside following his startling debate performance against rival and former president Trump last month, which raised concerns about his fitness for a second term and ability to defeat his Republican opponent in November.
Obama, who didn’t immediately endorse Harris following President Biden’s announcement on Sunday, released a video to support the Vice President.
“Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. 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,” Obama said in a post on X.
“Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” the 62-year-old former president told Harris on a phone call joined by his wife.
Harris thanked the Obamas for their support and expressed gratitude for their decadeslong friendship.
“I’m looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug (Douglas Emhoff) and I both. And getting out there, being on the road,” Harris, 59, said.
“But most of all, I just want to tell you the words you have spoken and the friendship that you have given over all these years mean more than I can express, so thank you both. It means so much. And we’re gonna have some fun with this too, aren’t we?” she added.
Michelle, the former first lady, said she is proud of Harris and expects the upcoming election to be historic.
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic,” she told Harris in the approximately one-minute video. In a joint statement announcing the endorsement, the Obamas praised Harris.
“But Kamala has more than a resume. She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands. There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala Harris has exactly what it takes to win this election and deliver for the American people,” the statement said.
“At a time when the stakes have never been higher, she gives us all reason to hope,” it added.
Netanyahu meets Biden, Harris to narrow ‘gaps’ on Gaza ceasefire deal
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday to close the remaining “gaps” in the push for a Gaza ceasefire deal, the White House said quoting media reports.
The meeting at the White House came a day after Netanyahu gave a fiery speech before the US Congress as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside, BBC reported. US Vice-President Kamala Harris later met Netanyahu and said she had voiced “serious concerns” over casualties in Gaza.
The Prime Minister faces pressure both at home and abroad to bring an end to the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month.
He said he had known the US President for 40 years – and that Biden had known every Israeli PM over the last half a century.
“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Biden “on the great issues before us” over the next several months.
The meeting follows months of tension over the war in Gaza, with Biden reaching the point in May, according to his friend and former Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, where he said “enough is enough”.
Biden also previously publicly threatened to hold back weapons shipments if Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah, prompting anger in Israel, BBC reported.
Netanyahu said in June that it was “inconceivable” for the Biden administration to withhold weapons and ammunition from Israel.
At a news briefing, National Security Spokesman John Kirby said the pair discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach “compromises” in peace talks. While Kirby added that “gaps remain” in the US-Israel relationship, it was still “healthy”. “By healthy, I mean they’re not going to agree on everything,” he said, adding that Biden was “very comfortable with the relationship he has with the Prime Minister”.
Speaking to reporters after she met with Netanyahu, Vice-President Harris said the discussion was “frank and constructive”.
She said she has an “unwavering commitment” to Israel and its right to defend itself, BBC reported. Harris also expressed, however, “serious concerns” about Israeli operations in Gaza and the “dire humanitarian situation there”. “I will not be silent,” she added. “It is time for this war to end.”
Trump-Netanyahu relations down ahead of meeting
As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top wishes from the United States. Yet by the time Trump left the White House, relations between the two had broken down after Netanyahu rapidly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory. (Agencies)
