Obama Worked Behind the Scenes to Undermine Kamala Harris in 2024: Book
A new book about the 2024 presidential election alleged that former President Barack Obama did not truly support Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden left the race.
NBC News correspondent Jonathan Allen — co-author of “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House” — said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday that Obama was advocating for an open primary because he did not think Harris could beat Republican Donald Trump.
“President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama,” Allen said.
“And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden,” the reporter added. “He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats, and he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention, did not have faith in her ability to win the election.”
“As it turned out, she didn’t win, but he was really working against her,” Allen asserted.
The author detailed a call that Obama had with Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, who had played a pivotal role in Biden winning the Democratic nomination in 2020.
The call occurred on July 21, 2024, the day Biden left the race and endorsed Harris as his replacement.
“In one moment, [Obama] had set up a phone call with Congressman 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. 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,’” Allen said.
Allen noted that Obama did not immediately endorse Harris but waited five days to do so publicly.
Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in… pic.twitter.com/0UIS0doIbA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2024
Last October, Obama and Biden appeared to have a tense exchange prior to the funeral for Ethel Kennedy regarding Harris’ candidacy, with the latter acknowledging she was struggling.
I found the full exchange between Obama and Biden at Ethel Kennedy’s funeral — a VERY tense conversation 20 days out from the election.
If anyone can read lips, please let me know what they’re saying. It’s probably good. pic.twitter.com/BIZTL61SHT
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) October 16, 2024
“She’s not as strong as me,” Biden said, apparently referring to Harris, a lip-reading expert told the New York Post.
Obama replied, “I know … that’s true,” but was hopeful there was still time to turn the election in her favor.
In January, following Harris’ loss, she could be seen looking on in apparent disgust as Obama and then President-elect Trump engaged in some friendly banter at the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.
Kamala Harris looks back at Trump, who is talking with Obama … ( Carter funeral ) pic.twitter.com/fnC3BqKmRO
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) January 9, 2025
Trump later told Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy regarding the exchange with Obama, “It did look very friendly, I must say.”
Donald Trump on his conversation with Barack Obama: “It did look very friendly, I must say … I said, ‘boy, they look like two people like that each other.’ And we probably do”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 10, 2025
“I didn’t realize how friendly it looked,” he continued. “I saw it on your wonderful network just a little while ago before I came in, and I said, ‘Boy, they look like two people that like each other.’ And we probably do.”
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