Barack Obama’s surprise response to Joe Biden’s bombshell

As Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump, Barack Obama stopped short of throwing his weight behind the former California prosecutor.

Former US President Barack Obama has stopped short of endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris saying that the Democrats would pick an unnamed “outstanding nominee” in his first statement on Joe Biden’s bombshell decision to not seek re-election in the upcoming US election.

“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement posted to X.

“But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

But Obama’s press people have since spoken to reporters saying Obama’s statement shouldn’t be taken as a lack of support for Harris.

Former US President Barack Obama has not officially endorsed Kamala Harris to run as Joe Biden steps aside. Picture: AFP

Obama noted how difficult the decision must have been for Biden, adding that he was sure the US President was thinking about what’s right for the country.

“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight,” he wrote.

“For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America.”

Joe Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris to run as the Democrat’s nominee but former President Barack Obama stopped short. Picture: AFP

Biden thrust Harris into the hot seat as he endorsed the vice president as his pick to take on Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made,” Biden said in his announcement.

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

Jill Biden, who’s had a contentious relationship with Harris, did not make a public statement but retweeted her husband’s support of the former prosecutor.

Harris praised Biden’s “extraordinary leadership” and his “selfless and patriotic act” to drop out of the race.

“I am honoured to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said in a statement. “We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”

Bill and Hillary Clinton backed Biden’s support of Harris.

“We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the Clintons said in a statement posted on X.

“Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris is the highest ranking female official in the US. Picture: AFP

WHO IS KAMALA HARRIS?

Harris, born in Oakland, California, is the current – and 49th – Vice President of the United States under Biden. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in US history, as well as the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president. A lawyer, she became a member of the Democratic Party and was previously a US senator from California from 2017 to 2021 and the Attorney-General of California from 2011 to 2017.

HOW OLD IS SHE AND WHAT’S HER MARITAL STATUS?

Harris is 59 and will turn 60 on October 20. In the 1990s she was in a relationship with Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown and, in 2001, Harris had a brief relationship with US talk show host Montel Williams.

She met her future husband, former entertainment lawyer-turned-law-professor Douglas Emhoff in 2013 after they were set up on a blind date by a friend. The couple married the following year.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff. Picture: AFP

WHAT IS HARRIS’ ETHNICITY?

Harris was born to an Indian-American mother and a Jamaican-American father.

WHO’S WHO IN HARRIS’ FAMILY?

Harris’ mother Shyamala Gopalan, who died in 2009, was a biologist and civil rights activist who moved to the US in 1958 at the age of 19 to study at the University of California.

The VP’s father, Donald Harris, is an economist and professor emeritus at the prestigious Stanford University. He left Jamaica in 1961 to get his PhD in economics at the University of California where he met his future wife.

Kamala Harris with her mother and sister, Maya. Picture: Supplied

Harris has a younger sister, Maya, a lawyer. Maya has one child, Meena, a lawyer and children’s book author.

Harris is also stepmother to Emhoff’s children, Cole, who works at Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, and Ella, a model and fashion designer.

WHAT IS KAMALA HARRIS’ NET WORTH?

In May, Forbes’ estimated Harris’ net worth at US$8 million (A$12 million).

Kamala Harris with sister Maya and her daughter, Meena. Picture: Supplied

WHAT HAS KAMALA HARRIS DONE AS VICE PRESIDENT?

Harris has had a role in some of the Biden administration’s biggest wins — like the Inflation Reduction Act, which helps lower prescription drug costs and invest in climate initiatives, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes historic funding for bridges and roads. She has also created the “Back on Track” program, which redirects first-time, nonviolent drug offenders into supervised education, job training courses, therapy sessions and life skills classes. She has also fought for abortion rights and voting rights.

Kamala Harris is sworn in as the 49th US Vice President by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Picture: AFP

WHAT DID HER PICK AS JOE BIDEN’S VP SIGNIFY?

It made her the first woman to be appointed Vice President (as well as the first woman of colour) and the highest ranking female US official in history.

WHAT ARE HER STRENGTHS?

Harris’ skills as a prosecutor have served her well as VP. She has become known for her sharp questioning, particularly against Trump’s Supreme Court nominees. Given her background, she is thought to be a much better debate option against Trump than Biden has shown. Pro-Harris supporters say they would love to see Harris take on Trump on abortion rights and his lawless approach to the presidency.

Could Kamala Harris run for the US presidency if Joe Biden steps down? Picture: AFP

WHAT ARE HER VULNERABILITIES?

Her favourability ratings have often times dropped well behind Biden’s while she’s been vice president. She’s also been a largely absent public figure over the past four years and is often critiqued over the fact that she never quite found a clear lane for herself. She has repeatedly struggled to lay out her vision for the country and explain to voters how she would improve their lives. When Harris ran for the presidency in 2020, she dealt with similar issues, leaving people confused about what she stood for.

Harris was also appointed by Biden as his border tsar to help fix the immigration crisis. But a record number of migrants have since flooded across the southern US border, in what Republicans have seized on as a key election issue and perhaps the biggest failing of the Biden-Harris administration.

VIDEO: Many are labeling the interaction between Taraji P. Henson and Vice President Kamala Harris at the BET Awards as highly staged, viewing it as an obvious Democratic maneuver to recapture support from Black Americans. #kamalaharris#betawards#tarajiphensonpic.twitter.com/h643uypmrs

— Prince Carlton 🇺🇸 (@_PrinceCarlton_) July 1, 2024

And Harris – unlike Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton – is not a natural media performer. A skit she performed with actress Taraji P Henson where the two discussed political issues on a video call as part of the Democratic campaign was cringe-worthy at best, while an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show where Barrymore bleated “we need you to be Momala of the country!” was almost unwatchable. (Then again, that was mainly down to Barrymore’s over-the-top carry on.)

But she definitely struggles when the spotlight is squarely on her.

WHAT IS HER APPROVAL RATING?

As of June 2024, 44 per cent of US adults surveyed said they had a very unfavourable opinion of Harris. On the other hand, 38 per cent said they had either a very favourable or a somewhat favourable opinion of the first female Vice President.

Kamala Harris was a prosecutor and Attorney-General in California. Picture: AFP

WHEN WILL HARRIS DEBATE TRUMP’S VP PICK JD VANCE?

Prior to Biden’s announcement, the Republican Party would not agree to scheduling a vice-presidential debate between Harris and Vance, saying they didn’t know who “her running mate” is yet.

Now, it’s a moot point and Harris might soon be debating Trump if she becomes the Democratic Party’s nominee (and if Trump agrees to it).

DO POLLSTERS THINK SHE CAN WIN THE US ELECTION?

According to an Ipos poll conducted in the US early in July, a potential matchup between Harris and Trump showed that 42 per cent of Americans supported her and 43 per cent supported the former president.

The same poll, which interviewed 1070 registered voters across the US and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5 per cent found that Biden and Trump each had 40 per cent support.

HOW DO JILL BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS GET ON?

Jill Biden and Harris’ frosty relationship dates back to June 2019 when she was running against Biden and implied he was racist during a televised debate over his opposition towards aspects of mandatory bussing for school desegregation.

Harris then allegedly responded saying “go f**k yourself,” during a conference call with supporters.

Political insiders say that Democratic advisers are struggling to push past the powerful role that Dr Biden’s loathing of Harris had played into Biden’s resistance in stepping down earlier.

Dr Biden also famously said about her husband’s choice of Harris as running mate and now Vice President: “There are millions of people in the United States. Why … do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?”

The quote is contained in This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future, by the New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns, published on May 3.

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at James B. Dudley High School on July 11, in North Carolina. Picture: AFP

WHO ARE KAMALA HARRIS’ CELEBRITY CONNECTIONS?

A number of celebrities came out in support of Harris after she was announced as Biden’s VP pick.

Barbie star America Ferrera posted a shot from the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where she met Harris backstage. “Glad to have this smart as hell, insanely competent leader on the 2020 ticket. Let’s go,” she wrote.

Harris stepped out with NJ Sen. Corey Booker to attend the NAACP Image Awards, and snapped a photo with Ne-Yo and his children.

Harris has also been photographed beaming alongside Al Pacino at a 2012 movie screening in San Francisco.

Dorinda Medley was part of the “Team Kamala” event last July, where she and her daughter, Hannah, took a photo with Harris.

Kamala Harris could be the first female president of the United States. Picture: AFP

Taylor Swift and LeBron James have also voiced their support for Harris. Swift simply commented “YES” on a retweet sharing news of Harris’ appointment.

In an Instagram post, actress Jennifer Garner wrote “we have her back”, captioning a photo showing her with the VP. Actress Jessica Alba has also been pictured with Harris at her past political events, while John Legend has performed at her rallies.

Barack Obama said: “I’ve known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing.”

While 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton wrote: “I’m thrilled to welcome @KamalaHarris to a historic Democratic ticket. She’s already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader. And I know she’ll be a strong partner to @JoeBiden. Please join me in having her back and getting her elected.”

Originally published as Barack Obama’s surprise response to Joe Biden’s bombshell