Former President Barack Obama released a statement Sunday afternoon, praising President Biden after he dropped out of the 2024 race.
Obama referred to Biden as a “dear friend and partner” as well as a “patriot of the highest order.”
“Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts,” Obama said.
The former president also cited Biden’s track record in the 3½ years he has served as commander-in-chief, saying “he helped end the pandemic, created millions of jobs, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, passed the first major piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years, made the biggest investment to address climate change in history, and fought to ensure the rights of working people to organize for fair wages and benefits.”
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Former President Barack Obama confers with President Biden during a ceremony to unveil Obama’s official White House portrait on September 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Obama also referenced former President Donald Trump in his statement, referring to the 45th president’s administration as “four years of chaos, falsehood, and division.”
While Obama referred to President Biden’s track record as “outstanding,” he said “Joe understands better than anyone the stakes in this election.”
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Obama stressed that “everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress.”
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. 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.”
President Biden and former President Barack Obama. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Obama shared, “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August.”
The Democratic National Convention will happen in Chicago beginning August 19 through August 22.
The former president finished his statement with a note of thanks to both President Biden and Jill Biden.
“For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times — and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on.”
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Noticeably absent from Obama’s statement was any mention of a candidate to replace Biden. Biden himself endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Bill and Hillary Clinton also expressed their support for Harris as Biden’s replacement.