Former President Barack Obama has refrained from endorsing Kamala Harris’s presidential bid, primarily because he believes she cannot defeat Donald Trump, according to a source close to the Biden family.
Despite Joe Biden’s surprising resignation from the race on Sunday and his immediate endorsement of Harris, Obama’s reluctance stands out among the Democratic elite, who have largely rallied behind the vice president.
“Obama’s very upset because he knows she can’t win,” the Biden family source told The New York Post. The source criticized Harris, pointing to her record and recent actions as reasons for Obama’s skepticism. They described her as “incompetent,” mentioning her role as the border czar who never visited the border and her controversial stance on health insurance for migrants.
The insider also suggested that Obama had hoped for Biden to step aside in a strategic move, with George Clooney’s article in the New York Times pushing for Biden’s resignation as part of that plan.
The source revealed that Obama was caught off guard by Biden’s swift endorsement of Harris, which was not anticipated by the higher-ups in the Democratic Party. This unexpected development, combined with the former president’s doubts about Harris’s ability to navigate the political landscape and secure victory against Trump, has contributed to Obama’s decision to withhold his endorsement.
