Former President Barack Obama has not endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid because he doesn’t believe she can defeat Donald Trump, according to a source close to the Biden family.
After Joe Biden’s unexpected resignation from the race on Sunday and his swift endorsement of Vice President Harris, most Democratic leaders have rallied behind her. However, Obama remains a notable exception.
“Obama’s very upset because he knows she can’t win,” the Biden family source told The Post. “Obama knows she’s just incompetent—the border czar who never visited the border, saying that all migrants should have health insurance. She cannot navigate the landmines that are ahead of her. When you are running for president, there are things you can and can’t say.”
Biden, 81, decided to step down after a disastrous performance against Trump in a televised debate in Atlanta last month. The Post first revealed that this debate was part of an “elaborate set-up” to remove him from the race.
The source expressed doubts about Harris’ ability to debate Trump effectively. “Wait until the debate… She can’t debate. She’s going to put her foot in her mouth about Israel, Palestine, Ukraine. She’s going to say something really stupid,” the source said. “Obama knew this was going to happen, Joe knew this was going to happen. Now she is going to have to answer real questions.”
According to the source, Obama had hoped to clear the way for Biden’s departure through strategic moves, including an article by George Clooney in the New York Times urging Biden to step aside. However, Biden’s immediate endorsement of Harris took many by surprise, including Obama.
“Obama was shocked” when Biden endorsed Harris, the insider noted. After Biden’s exit, Obama—who did not return a request for comment Wednesday—wanted Arizona Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly to lead the ticket at the Democratic National Convention next month, according to the source.
Obama is “furious” that things haven’t gone his way, which explains his lack of support for Harris, the Biden source added.
Another well-placed Democrat source commented, “Obama being surprised by a smart political decision actually makes sense when coupled with his personal inability to see politics beyond his singular, immediate interests. Obama always thinks he is the smartest and coolest guy in the room. He’s friends with George Clooney, after all.”
Rod Blagojevich, the disgraced former governor of Illinois, denounced Obama as a “threat to democracy” in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Tuesday. He believes “Obama was instrumental” in getting Biden out of the race. Blagojevich, a former Democrat now supporting Trump, was governor of Illinois when Obama became a state senator in 2005.
“It [Biden’s departure from the race] couldn’t have happened without him [Obama],” Blagojevich told The Post. “Without Obama, Biden is still the Democratic nominee. Obama was the conductor leading the orchestra that convinced Biden to step aside.”
Obama’s influence within the Democratic Party has long been significant. He persuaded Biden not to run for the presidency in 2016, allowing Hillary Clinton a shot at the White House, which has since been a sticking point between them. “He was not encouraging,” Biden later told the New York Times, referring to Obama’s belief that Clinton had a better chance of beating Trump.
“He’s running the Democratic party like a Chicago ward boss from the shadows in the back room,” Blagojevich continued. “In this case, it’s a big backroom because he has a lot of big houses.”