President Barack Obama endorsed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton Thursday, coming days after the former Secretary of State recorded a decisive victory in the California primary.
In addition, Clinton’s campaign announced that the President will join her next Wednesday for a rally in Green Bay.
In a video released by the White House, Obama praises Clinton’s qualifications and said she would be the best choice for president.
“I know how hard this job can be, that’s why I know Hillary will be so good at it,” Obama said in the video. “In fact I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office. She’s got the courage, the compassion and the heart to get this job done.”
The announcement comes an hour after Obama met with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has so far declined to drop out and endorse Clinton.
In remarks after the meeting, Sanders said that he would continue to campaign through the Washington, D.C. primary Tuesday before meeting with Clinton to determine a way to defeat Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
“Needless to say, I’m going to do everything in my power, and I’m going to work as hard as I can, to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president of the United States,” Sanders told reporters outside the White House.
The Associated Press reported that Clinton hit the requisite number of total delegates on the eve of Tuesday’s slate of primaries and she formally hit a majority of pledged delegates the next day with victories in the New Jersey, South Dakota, New Mexico and California primaries.
The next step for Clinton is to formally hit the campaign trail, which she will do early next week with stops in the key states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. In addition, Clinton's campaign will release more details in the coming days about her appearance with Obama in Green Bay.
