Barack Obama released a statement after Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, and he didn't endorse Kamala Harris the way many Democrats did. He called for an open process to choose the next nominee.
"We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead," he wrote. "But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."
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Most prominent Democrats have since endorsed Kamala. So, why hasn't Obama? There's a reason. According to the New York Post, he doesn't think she can beat Donald Trump.
Following Joe Biden’s shock resignation from the race on Sunday, and his immediate endorsement of the vice president, most of the Democratic elite have been quick to rally behind Harris — but Obama is a notable exception.
“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, 81, came after his disastrous performance against Trump in a televised debate in Atlanta last month which, The Post first revealed, was part of an “elaborate set-up” to remove him from the race.
But the source doesn’t have high hopes for a TV debate between Trump and Harris. When Biden was still in the race, a second debate was scheduled for September 10.
“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 said.
“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 a source close to the situation, Barack Obama had hoped to maneuver Joe Biden out of the presidential race. As part of this strategy, Obama enlisted George Clooney to write an article in the New York Times urging Biden to step aside. However, the plan did not account for Biden's swift endorsement of Kamala Harris, which, the source said, threw Obama for a loop.
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The source indicates that following Biden's potential exit, Obama had intended for Arizona senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly to be at the top of the ticket during the Democratic National Convention next month. This plan has not materialized, leading to Obama’s frustration. The source added that Obama is 'furious things haven’t gone his way, which is why he is not joining in the Democratic Party’s support of Harris."
Meanwhile, some in the Democratic Party aren't happy with Obama, as one "well-placed Democratic source" commented that Barack Obama’s surprise at the coalescing behind Kamala "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," the source added. "He’s friends with George Clooney, after all.”
When the Kamala honeymoon is over, what's going to happen?
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