Former President Barack Obama Never Considered Kamala Harris a Viable Competitor Against President Trump

Former President Barack Obama Never Considered Kamala Harris a Viable Competitor Against President Trump, According to Report in Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House

Former President Barack Obama was "very frustrated" in trying to support Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate for 2024. Authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes report in their book FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House that Obama’s opposition to Harris grew more intense as she was nearing the confirmation of her candidacy.

The book states, “As time went on and it became clear that she was quickly securing the nomination, Obama’s opposition seemed even stranger,” and Harris had conveyed through a close colleague that “she was very frustrated. They had many donors and political allies, and the rest of the party was on her side. But where was Obama?”

The book, FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, provides detailed insight into how Harris gained significant support from key Democrats when Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The authors reveal that Obama did not want Harris to step into Biden’s place because he believed Kamala Harris was never a worthy challenger to President Trump, and that she could never defeat him. However, Obama eventually changed his decision and stood by Harris, as his own political future and loyalty to the party came into question.

Obama waited for five days before publicly supporting Harris, once Biden dropped out of the race. There was some hesitation in the process of offering support, and Harris’s campaign manager, Jen O'Malley Dillon, focused on ensuring the right approach by considering the flow of cash. They produced a video where Harris is shown receiving a call from Barack and Michelle Obama, which was then posted online.

Allen and Parnes wrote in the book, "To make Harris seem authentic, her excitement and sense of wonder had to be faked. The easiest task in political history took days of intense discussion. The entire scene, with the script, was orchestrated to make it appear as though Harris was asking for their blessing. It was completely a sham!"

In an interview on MSNBC on Tuesday, Allen said, "President Obama never believed that Joe Biden would serve another term, and he didn’t want to see Kamala Harris as Biden’s successor. He thought Harris was not the right candidate for the Democrats, and he had been working against her from behind the scenes for a long time."

The book also claims that Obama tried to push for an open primary election in order to exert pressure on Harris.