President Barack Obama formally endorsed Democratic presidential presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton to succeed him as the next president of the United States.
Pres. Obama announced his endorsement two days after Clinton reached the required number of delegates to seal the Democratic nomination. The former Secretary of State made a history for becoming the first female presidential nominee from a major political party in the United States.
Pres. Obama released a video online endorsing Clinton after his meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders at the White House in Thursday.
In the video, the President said, “I know how hard this job can be. That’s why I know Hillary will be so good at it. I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office. I’m with her. I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary.”
Pres. Obama still enjoys a high approval rating of more than 50% this year. Political observers suggest that his endorsement increases the pressure on Sen. Sanders to concede the primary race so that the Democratic Party can now focus on defeating Donald Trump.
In an interview with Bloomberg Politics, Clinton said Obama’s endorsement is a “treat.” She said, “It just means so much to have a strong, substantive endorsement from the president. Obviously I value his opinion a great deal personally.”
Sanders vowed to work with Clinton to defeat Trump
Sen. Sanders said he would stay in the race until the final Democratic primary in Washington, D.C. on June 16. He promised to work with Clinton and discuss strategies to defeat Trump.
“I look forward to meeting with (Clinton) in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and to create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent,” said Sanders.
He also said, “Donald Trump would clearly, to my mind, and I think to a majority of Americans, be a disaster as president of the United States. It’s unbelievable to me — and I say this with all sincerity — that the Republican Party would have a candidate for president who in the year 2016 makes bigotry and racism the cornerstone of his campaign.”
Pres. Obama also praised Sanders for running an “incredible campaign.” Furthermore, he encouraged Democrats to unite. He said, “If we all come together in common effort, I’m convinced we won’t just win in November, we’ll build on the progress we’ve made and we will win a brighter future.”
Trump’s reaction
In reaction to the President’s endorsement for Clinton, Trump tweeted, “Obama just endorsed Crooked Hillary. He wants four more years of Obama — but nobody else does!”
Over the past few days, Republican leaders including House Speaker Paul Ryan rebuked Trump because of his racist comments against the federal judge president over the lawsuits filed against Trump University.
Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois issued a statement that he “cannot and will not support” Trump for president.
Sen. Kirk said, “I have spent my life building bridges and tearing down barriers–not building walls. That’s why I find Donald Trump’s belief that an American-born judge of Mexican descent is incapable of fairly presiding over his case is not only dead wrong, it is un-American.”
