Biden's endorsement of Kamala Harris probably made his rift with Obama worse than we thought
WASHINGTON, DC: The Democratic Party might look united from the outside, but it seems like there’s enough tension behind the scenes to fuel an entire reality TV season.
It seems former president Barack Obama wasn’t exactly thrilled when President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election. And let’s just say, the tea spilled by Democratic campaign advisor Lindy Li is piping hot.
Barack Obama’s alleged side-eye at Kamala Harris’ nomination
According to Lindy Li, Barack Obama and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi weren’t fans of Joe Biden’s decision to back Kamala Harris without opening the field to a Democratic primary. In fact, Li claims that Obama had his eye on Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as a potential nominee.
When Biden announced he wouldn’t be running for a second term and endorsed Harris on the same day, Li described the moment as a shocker for party insiders.
“Obama and Pelosi were both hoping for a primary instead of a coronation, so to speak,” Li explained to NewsNation's Natasha Zouves. “I don’t think anyone saw that coming. We did not see that coming. I think a lot of people anticipated that he might have stepped aside, but no one anticipated the twofer we got that day.”
Apparently, Obama wasn’t the only one caught off guard. Li recounted that many in the party expected Biden to step aside gracefully, but the immediate endorsement of Harris blindsided them.
Obama’s statement about the future of the Democratic Party had a markedly different tone before Biden threw his weight behind Harris. His words, published via Medium, seemed to offer a sense of neutrality rather than outright support for Harris.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama wrote. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
It's worth noting that Obama didn’t explicitly name Harris or signal unequivocal support for her. Instead, he placed trust in the party’s ability to handle the situation—hardly a ringing endorsement.
If you thought Biden and Obama were still sharing buddy-buddy ice cream moments, think again. Biden was reportedly miffed when Obama’s advisors urged him not to run for the Democratic nomination in 2016, paving the way for Hillary Clinton.
Biden's aides told Axios that if Obama had encouraged him not to run in 2024, Biden probably would have done the opposite.
The Kamala Harris conundrum
Kamala Harris didn’t just lose the election to Donald Trump—she got brutally roasted for it by her own camp. Lindy Li herself blasted Harris for what she called a "devastating loss" and some seriously questionable campaign spending.
“It was just startling how there was no sense of responsibility,” Li said. “They essentially set $2 billion on fire in 100 days.”
Li also pointed out that Democratic donors were furious over alleged mismanagement of funds, which reportedly turned political consultants into multi-millionaires. According to her, this kind of reckless spending has left a big trust gap between the Democratic Party and its donors.
"There’s a lot of conflict of interest here. And we need a careful accounting and probably more granular than the FEC report would offer," she said. "Because if we don’t do that, how are voters and donors ever going to trust the Democratic Party again?"
And if you thought Harris would bounce back with some post-campaign reflection—not really. Li described a post-election call with donors where Harris reportedly spent more time talking about her Thanksgiving recipes than addressing the party’s loss.
“I believe at one moment in the call she was talking about her Thanksgiving recipe... I think I was stunned to hear that, given just the extent and brutality of the loss,” Li lamented.
