Obama Endorses Biden for President

Obama’s endorsement of his former vice president, in a video released Tuesday, came just one day after Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had been Biden’s last challenger, also endorsed him, and Obama’s remarks included direct appeals to the supporters of Sanders.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it’s that the spirit of looking out for each other can’t be restricted to our homes or our workplaces or our neighborhoods or our houses of worship,” he said in his endorsement video, casting Biden as the sort of steady leader the nation needed to fight the coronavirus crisis.

“It also has to be reflected in our national government,” he said. “The kind of leadership that’s guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace — that kind of leadership doesn’t just belong in our state capitals and mayor’s offices. It belongs in the White House. That’s why I’m so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States.”

The former president is perhaps the most influential figure in Democratic politics, and his active support could play a critical role in energizing and coalescing the party around Biden, who still faces skepticism from younger and more progressive voters.

While the Democratic race was competitive, Obama remained publicly neutral and offered advice to all comers, even as multiple candidates tried to link themselves to him. But now, with the primary effectively over, attention is turning to the potentially difficult task of unifying the party for the general election — and Obama is uniquely positioned to help do that.

Behind the scenes, he has been involved for some time and played a key role in persuading Sanders to end his campaign and endorse Biden.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .