Hours after the FBI cleared her of a potential fatal bullet in her campaign, Hillary Clinton received the endorsement from her former rival-turned-boss Barack Obama.
“I can tell you this, Hillary Clinton has been tested,” said Obama, interrupted repeatedly by the cheering crowd. “There has never been any man or woman more qualified for this office.”
Thanks, Obama. pic.twitter.com/qL1JqkJHpX
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 5, 2016
The scene of Obama and Clinton together sends a powerful message of Democratic unity, especially as Donald Trump struggles to keep Republicans together. Regardless of who joins Clinton on her ticket later this month, the fact that Obama is committed to eagerly campaigning for her is a huge weapon in key battleground states like Ohio, Florida and Virginia where Obama had success in both 2008 and 2012.
Obama’s poll numbers have been rising, now at 52 percent nationally, but he is wildly popular with Democrats and African American voters, key to Democratic voter turnout in November.
With his shirt sleeves rolled up, Obama seemed to relish taking swipes at the presumptive Republican nominee.
“I know the other guy talks about making America great again. America’s really great,” said Obama. “This is a choice between whether we are going to cling to some imaginary past or whether we’re going to reach for the future.”
Obama becomes the first sitting president in a generation who has eagerly embraced his heir apparent. While Clinton seems eager to put Obama on the campaign trail, John McCain barely acknowledged George W. Bush’s support in 2008. Al Gore in 2000, George H. W. Bush in 1988, and Hubert Humphrey in 1968 all made a strategic decision to keep their bosses, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson, out of the limelight.
For Obama, this is a chance to secure his legacy with a Clinton victory. Only once in recent history, Bush in 1988, has the same party won three presidential elections in a row.
While Obama made fun of Trump’s use of Twitter, the billionaire former reality TV host wasted no time weighing in.
With Hillary and Obama, the terrorist attacks will only get worse. Politically correct fools, won’t even call it what it is – RADICAL ISLAM!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2016