*We all know Barack Obama has publicly backed Joe Biden for president, but for some it may come as a surprise that 44 has privately expressed concerns about his former VP’s 2020 White House run.
Tensions linger between the camps with the VP determined to prove the naysayers wrong after Obama backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as his successor in 2016, according to Politico.
“Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up,” Obama reportedly told an unnamed Democrat, who then spoke to Politico about the conversation.
The report quotes former Obama officials as saying the Obama/Biden relationship was warm and they were close but Obama’s super preparedness and Biden’s old-school backslapping style created tension
“You could certainly see technocratic eye-rolling at times,” according to former White House communications director Jen Psaki who recalled other aides laughing at Biden’s frequent gaffes and lack of discipline.
MORE NEWS: Ben Crump Retained to Represent Family of 8-year-old Handcuffed by Police
But it wasn’t funny as it caused Obama’s decision to back Hillary Clinton for the party’s 2016 nomination instead of Biden.
“The president was not encouraging,” Biden recalled in his 2017 memoir.
On top of that when it came to the Democratic primaries in 2019, you’ll recall that Barack Obama did not offer his endorsement for Biden.
Maybe that’s actually a good thing for Biden because when Obama didn’t “lift a finger” to help him in the South Carolina primaries, he had to go to work and figure out a plan which he obviously did … with the help of Congressman James Clyburn.
“[Biden] did feel that he needed to go out and earn it himself, as opposed to having people see it as an extension of a third Obama term or having it be any kind of referendum directly on Obama,” Anita Dunn, an Obama administration aide and top adviser to Biden’s presidential campaign, said.
RELATED NEWS: This Mayor Joked: ‘Joe Biden Just Announced Aunt Jemima as His VP Pick’. Town Wrath Ensued. (Video)
And during the run-up to this year’s Iowa caucuses, one Biden rival told Politico, Obama privately reminisced about the bond he formed with the state’s voters during his 2008 campaign.
But Biden struggled to grasp the electorate, #44 reportedly once said.
“You know who really doesn’t have it?” “Joe Biden.”
Well damn. Expect to see that in a Donald Trump Tweet followed by the words coming out of hos mouth real soon.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
