Washington, April 15 Former US President Barack Obama said he is endorsing Joe Biden, his former deputy, for the White House.
In a video posted on Twitter on Tuesday, Obama talked about Biden's leadership, which he said "belongs in the White House." "That's why I'm so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States," said Obama, reported Xinhua news agency.
"Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend," Obama said. "And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now."
Biden, retweeting the video, said Obama's endorsement "means the world" to him.
"We're going to build on the progress we made together, and there's no one I'd rather have standing by my side," the former US vice president said.
Biden became the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee last week after his only rival, US Senator Bernie Sanders, suspended his own campaign. Sanders, who had campaigned on progressive policies, endorsed Biden, a moderate political veteran, on Monday.
In Tuesday's video, Obama did not mention sitting President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but took a shot at the administration's handling of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
"Pandemics have a way of cutting through a lot of noise and spin to remind us what is real and what matters," he said. "It's reminded us that good government matters, that facts and science matter, that the rule of law matters, that having leaders that are informed and honest, and seek to bring people together, rather than drive them apart, those kinds of leaders matter."
Brad Parscale, manager of Trump's re-election campaign, fired back with a statement, saying that "Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him."
Primaries of the 2020 US presidential race have not finished, as many states have delayed their voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. A Biden-Trump matchup is poised to take place.
The Democratic National Committee has postponed the party's presidential nominating convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to August 17, the week before the Republican Party's convention, scheduled for August 24 to 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 2020 US presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.
( With inputs from IANS )