President Donald Trump accused 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of lying when he said he “asked [former] President Obama not to endorse” his campaign.
The president said “there has to be some reason” why Obama has chosen not to endorse Biden in an interview with Hill.TV Monday.
“How [former Vice President Biden] doesn’t get President Obama to endorse him — there has to be some reason why he’s not endorsing him,” Trump told Hill.TV. “He was the vice president. They seem to have gotten along. And how President Obama’s not endorsing him is rather a big secret. Then he goes and lies and said, ‘I asked the president not to endorse me.’ Give me a break.”
Trump went on to say that Biden made the claim because “he’s embarrassed by the fact that Obama’s not endorsing him, so he goes out and says, ‘I asked President Obama not to endorse me.’ … So it could be that President Obama knows something, but there is something going on in that brain of his.”
“I think he’s off,” the president concluded. “He’s different. We’ve all known him a long time. I’ve seen him for a long time. Frankly, he looks different, he sounds different, and he thinks different. Other than that, I hope he does very well.”
The former vice president told reporters in April that he asked Obama not to endorse him.
“I asked President Obama not to endorse and he doesn’t want to — whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits,” he said.
Here's the video of Biden telling reporters he asked Obama to not endorse him: I asked President Obama not to endorse and he doesn't want to — whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits. pic.twitter.com/9qAmfyuSI4
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) April 25, 2019
When Biden announced his campaign, he made it a point to highlight the similarities he shares with his former boss.
“Serving as @BarackObama‘s Vice President was a privilege and an honor. We share the belief that America is a place where ordinary people do extraordinary things and anything is possible,” the candidate wrote in a video ad posted on Twitter.
The ad shows footage of Obama awarding Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017.
“This is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary career in public service. … Somebody who has devoted his entire professional life to service to this country. … He revitalized American manufacturing as the head of our middle-class task force. … He fought to make college more affordable. … He suited up for Our Cancer Moonshot and giving hope to millions of Americans touched by this disease. … Joe’s candid honest council has made me a better president. … That’s Joe Biden. Resilient, loyal and a patriot.”
Serving as @BarackObama's Vice President was a privilege and an honor. We share the belief that America is a place where ordinary people do extraordinary things and anything is possible. pic.twitter.com/Y5rXEijgIu
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 30, 2019
A June 16 poll conducted by Fox News shows Biden leading Trump by about 10 percentage points before of the 2020 nomination.
