Joe Bidenhas told his former boss not to endorse him.
Hours after Biden, 76, announced his2020 presidential campaign, the former vice president told reporters that he purposely urgedBarack Obamato hold off on declaring his approval.
“I asked President Obama not to endorse,” Bidentold reporterson Thursday. “Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits.”
Meanwhile, Obama offered kind words of encouragement to the man he often referred to as his “brother.”
Joe Biden and Barack Obama in 2010.The White House Official Photographer
“President Obama has long said that selecting Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008 was one of the best decisions he ever made,” Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill said in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday.
“He relied on the Vice President’s knowledge, insight, and judgment throughout both campaigns and the entire presidency. The two forged a special bond over the last 10 years and remain close today,” the statement concluded.
Obama, who awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017, has yet to endorse a candidate.
The longtime senator from Delaware-turned-presidential candidate-turned-running mate and vice presidentannounced his campaignearly Thursday morning with a video message.
“The core values of this nation… our standing in the world… our very democracy…everything that has made America — America — is at stake,” the text alongside the video said. “That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.”
J. Scott Applewhite/Getty
Biden served as Obama‘s right-hand man for two terms and enters acrowded field of Democratic candidatesas the immediate frontrunner in name recognition and most polling, even if his age and historically more moderate voting record put him at odds with the party’s progressive wing.
In the months leading up to his announcement, Biden has repeatedly made the argument he is the most qualified challenger against Donald Trump.
“I’ll be as straight with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Bidentold a cheering December crowdat the University of Montana. “The issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I’ve worked on my whole life.”
source: people.com
