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Shortly after Biden’s withdrawal, Kamala Harris secured the support of prominent Democrats. But Obama remained silent. There was probably some calculation behind this.
Washington, DC – A simple statement on X has overnight changed the political situation before the US election turned upside down: US President Joe Biden has bowed to pressure and announced his resignation as presidential candidate of the Democrats announced. Former President Donald Trump will now run against another candidate in the US election.
Who is the alternative to Biden? So far, everything looks as if Vice President Kamala Harris will now run as a candidate in the Democratic Party’s election campaign.
Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s preferred successor and declared just a few hours after Biden’s withdrawal that she was ready to run against Trump. Prominent Democrats also immediately pledged their support. However, one top representative in the party is conspicuously holding back: former President Barack Obama has not yet expressed his support for Kamala Harris’ candidacy.
Obama holds back on Kamala Harris after Joe Biden’s withdrawal
Barack Obama, former US President, acknowledged Biden’s decision not to run in the US election, but did not publicly support Harris. Obama instead wrote in his post, which medium published that he had “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process that will produce an outstanding candidate.”
It can be assumed that Barack Obama did not accidentally forget to support Kamala Harris as the new candidate of the republican It is probably a conscious move that he did not mention the 59-year-old, who is suddenly on everyone’s lips, in his hymn to Biden, his former vice president.
Obama does not comment on Harris after Biden’s resignation – insiders cite several reasons
But what is behind it? Can Obama’s failure to mention Kamala Harris be seen as a snub, as the opposing Republicans as one of their reactions to the Biden withdrawal Or does Barack Obama have an alternative to Harris in mind as Biden’s successor?
Both assumptions are incorrect – at least according to a report by New York Timeswhich is based on statements from several sources close to Barack Obama. Obama simply wants to hold back for the time being. The former president, who is considered cautious, does not want to give the impression that Harris’ nomination is some kind of ad hoc coronation, instead of finding the best possible consensus in the Democratic Party.
Obama does not see himself as someone who hastily announces candidates, but as someone who wants to unite the Democratic Party, a confidant said to New York Times.
Obama praises Biden as US President – he does not see Kamala Harris’s hour now
The anonymous sources cite another reason for Obama’s reticence towards Harris: Obama wanted the day on which Biden announced his withdrawal as a candidate against Trump to remain Trump’s day alone. That is why he only acknowledged Biden in his statement, instead of immediately naming a possible successor.
According to the report, the reason for Obama’s cautious actions is that the relationship between Biden and Obama has been strained for some time. On the one hand, because after the failed TV debate against Trump, Barack Obama was one of those who suggested that Biden withdraw from the US election campaignSecondly, because Biden is said to have never fully forgiven Obama for tacitly supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US elections.
Obama therefore decided that there was still enough time in the remaining three and a half months until the US election to express his support for Kamala Harris.
Michelle Obama was also considered as a possible president and Biden successor
Another possible factor for Obama’s reluctance comes in the analysis of the New York Times about Obama and Harris: The fact that Obama’s wife Michelle Obama was also considered a possible presidential candidate for the Democrats.
It would be theoretically possible that Obama harbors a grudge because Kamala Harris is now the first black presidential candidate in the USA, but in practice it is absurd: After all, Michelle Obama has always vehemently denied that she had any desire to become the first female president of the USA.
Trump or Biden? It will be exciting in the US election campaign
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Kamala Harris quickly secures support from Democrats after Biden’s withdrawal
Unlike Obama, other leading Democrats have quickly spoken out in favor of Harris as Biden’s successor. Kamala Harris has already secured the support of all 50 Democratic party leaders in the US states, reports the news channel ntv citing insider circles.
Within a few hours, campaign donations totaling millions had already poured in for the current vice president. Meanwhile, internal party competitors for the candidacy, such as Gavin Newsom, have already withdrawn from the fight for the candidacy. (smu)
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