Former President Barack Obama “lacked confidence” in Kamala Harris’s ability to defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 election and quietly “worked behind the scenes” to orchestrate a “mini-primary” following then-President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, according to a new book.
The book FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House reveals the turmoil within the Democratic Party as it scrambled to find a replacement for Joe Biden, offering the surprising revelation that Obama did not want Harris to be the nominee.
The reporting reveals a deep sense of skepticism at the highest levels of the Democratic establishment, despite Obama ultimately endorsing Harris five days after Biden handed her the reins.
NBC political reporter Jonathan Allen, who co-wrote the book with The Hill’s senior correspondent Amie Parnes, said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Tuesday that sources told them Obama “didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats” and instead pushed for an open convention.
“So President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama. And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats,” Allen said. “And he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini primary or an open convention or mini primary leading to an open convention. He did not have faith in her ability to win the election.
“So, and as it turned out, she didn’t win, but he was really working against her,” Allen continued.
“In one moment, he had set up a phone call with Congressman [Jim] Clyburn from South Carolina on the day that Joe Biden handed off the baton to Kamala Harris, and Obama had set up a call with Clyburn for like 5:30 that afternoon,” the co-author continued.
“And Clyburn thought to himself, ‘This guy is going to try to rope me into the open convention thing. I better get my endorsement of Harris out there fast.’ So this is a short conversation and when Harris talked to Obama on the day that Biden handed off to her, Obama was unwilling to give his endorsement then,” Allen added.
Trump was asked during an Oval Office press briefing on Monday about the possibility of running against former President Barack Obama should there be a way for either of them to serve a third term.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy broached the topic after Trump himself suggested last week that some have suggested there is a potential loophole in the Constitution that would permit him to run yet again, despite the 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, that ostensibly limits presidents to two terms in office.
“I’d love that. I’d love that. I would like that. Boy, that would be a good one,” Trump said in response to facing off against Obama.
“People are asking me to run in a whole story about running third term. I don’t know, I have never looked into it. They do say there is a way to do it. I don’t know about that, and I have not looked into it. I want to do a fantastic job,” Trump said.
“Four years, time is flying, but still four years, and we are getting a lot of credit for doing a great job in first almost 100 days. We have big things we will announce in the next few days. And I think it will be something that will bring a lot of wealth back to the country, tremendous wealth back to the country, actually,” he added.
