“The President has had the opportunity to speak to Senator Sanders now three times in the last week, and as a result of those conversations, I would think it is fair to say that Senator Sander was not at all surprised by today’s announcement”, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Thursday.
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Progressive gravitas: The scourge of Wall Street has espoused views on economic inequality and financial reform that align her more closely with Sanders’ vision, but Warren remained steadfastly neutral throughout the primary process. Some pundits speculated that Obama would have sought to convince Sanders to drop out of the race, so the Democratic party could rally around Clinton in preparation for a general election battle against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. Elizabeth Warren, just hours after the progressive hero endorsed the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
The two will appear together in Green Bay, Wisconsin, next Wednesday, the Clinton campaign said.
It all started when Barack Obama publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton in a web video on Thursday.
“I would expect Sanders to eventually get behind Hillary Clinton, perhaps not in a full-throated way”, said Kyle Kondik, political analyst with the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Clinton declared victory over Sanders on Tuesday, having captured the number of delegates needed to become the first female nominee from a major party.
Warren’s endorsement comes after months of silence regarding the race between Clinton and Sanders.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ lone Senate backer, Jeff Merkley of OR, gushed over the prospect of a Vice President Warren, casting her as a progressive who could continue what Sanders started. “I’ve seen her commitment to our values up close”, Obama said of Clinton.
In particularly, Clinton will hit Trump for suggesting that he “really broke the glass ceiling on behalf of women” because of his hiring practices, the aide said, and attempt to refute Trump’s argument that he “will be better for women, by a big factor, than Hillary Clinton”. Even President Obama has weaknesses with those who supported Sanders.
Obama greeted Sanders and his wife in the residence and then strolled with the senator, smiling and laughing warmly, past the Rose Garden to the Oval Office, as cameras recorded the moment.
But Warren’s backing may be more politically important for Clinton than Obama’s blessing.
But that’s especially the case with former President Bill Clinton. Mr Trump has made “bigotry and racism the cornerstone of his campaign”, he added.
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After almost eight years in the White House, Obama is still one of the country’s most popular politicians.
