Harris has now gathered the public support of more or less the entire Democratic elite, cementing her status as the party’s presumptive nominee.
Former US President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her bid to succeed Joe Biden and defeat Donald Trump in this year’s election.
The endorsement from the US’s two most popular Democrats was announced on Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple.
“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 can be heard telling Harris over the phone.
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you,” Michelle Obama adds. “This is going to be historic.”
In reply, Harris thanked the couple for their friendship, which stretches as far back as 2008, and said she looks forward to “getting there, being on the road” with them in the three-month blitz before the presidential election in November.
“We’re gonna have some fun with this too, aren’t we?” Harris says.
Barack Obama wrote on social media platform X that during the call, the former presidential couple told Harris she would make a “fantastic” leader.
Michelle Obama echoed this sentiment on her own social media post, confirming the couple’s endorsement due to Harris’ “positivity, sense of humour, and ability to bring light and hope to people all across the country”.
“We’ve got your back,” the former first lady said in the post.
A Democratic National Committee vote scheduled for August 7 will confirm the presidential and yet-to-be-named running mate on the official party ticket.
The endorsement comes as Harris continues to build momentum as the party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election bid and endorse his second-in-command against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
It also highlights the friendship and potentially historic link between the nation’s first Black president and the first woman, first Black woman and first person of Asian descent to serve as vice president.
The Obamas are the last top-tier party figures to endorse Harris formally — perhaps a reflection of the former president’s desire to remain, at least publicly, a party elder operating above the fray.
Yet the former first couple have remained consistently reliable fundraising draws, and are warmly welcomed by crowds at large campaign events for Democratic candidates.
Biden himself endorsed Harris within an hour of announcing his recent decision to end his campaign amid widespread concern about his ability to defeat Trump. A slate of high-profile officials and leaders, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, soon followed.
