Obama Endorses Hillary Clinton for President

Obama has officially endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

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President Barack Obama formally endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president Thursday. "For more than a year now, across thousands of miles and all 50 states, tens of millions of Americans have made their voices heard," Obama said in a video announcement. "Today, I just want to add mine. I want to congratulate Hillary Clinton on making history as the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States."

Clinton served as the 67th United States Secretary of State under the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013, a relationship Obama points to as proof of Clinton's qualifications. "I don't think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," he said Thursday.

Clinton and Obama were interparty rivals during the 2008 presidential election, with Obama ultimately securing the nomination and embarking on a historic victory against Republican nominee John McCain. "She was a formidable candidate in 2008," Obama said in April 2015 when asked about a possible Clinton presidency, according toABC News. "She was a great supporter of mine in the general election. She was an outstanding secretary of state. She is my friend. I think she would be an excellent president."

Vice President Joe Biden spoke at the American Constitution Society convention near the White House tonight and issued his own endorsement of Clinton. While he didn't directly endorse Clinton, he made his preference pretty clear when he stressed the need for someone to fill the void in the Supreme Court left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. "Whoever the next president is, and in my view, God willing, it'll be Secretary Clinton," he said.

The announcement came moments after Obama wrapped a meeting with Clinton's rival, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sanders vowed to work with Secretary Clinton "to defeat Donald Trump and to create a government which represents all of us and not just the one percent," according toAP. In a Facebook letter to his supporters Wednesday, Sanders asserted that the "struggle continues," despite his loss in California's primary earlier this week.

Within minutes, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump offered his thoughts on Obama's endorsement of Clinton:

Shortly, after Clinton dropped the proverbial mic with a timely response that a Twitter spokesperson has since confirmed to Complex as Clinton's most retweeted tweet ever:

Former struggle candidate Martin O'Malley, who once serenaded the nation with a Taylor Swift cover, also announced his formal endorsement of Clinton Thursday:

 

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