MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obama: ”Joe (Biden) has all the qualities we need in a president right now”

“Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery,” Obama said in a 12-minute video

Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden's White House bid on Tuesday, saying his longtime vice president can unify and “heal” a nation struggling through some of its darkest moments.

The formal backing by perhaps the most popular politician in America is the latest boost for Biden's surging candidacy, and a further sign that Democratic leaders are rallying around the party flag bearer more than six months before November's election.

“Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery,” Obama said in a 12-minute video. “I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now.”

The cherished endorsement comes at a time of deep national anxiety, with the vast majority of Americans under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 25,000 people in the United States.

With President Donald Trump's handling of the outbreak under the spotlight, Obama signaled he believed Biden - with four decades of government experience - would be a far more capable manager of the US response.

”Joe helped me manage H1N1 (influenza) and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we're seeing now,“ Obama said.

Biden, 77, promptly expressed his thanks in a tweet. ”Barack - This endorsement means the world to Jill and me,“ the Democratic stalwart said.

”We're going to build on the progress we made together, and there's no one I'd rather have standing by my side.”