Obama Was Worried Biden's Presidential Run Might 'Damage His Legacy'

Source: White House / News Pictures/WENN.com / WENN

Barack Obama Is Reportedly Worried About Biden Damaging His Presidential Legacy

Joe Biden continues to be the frontrunner in the Democratic primaries, but that doesn’t mean everyone in his camp is a huge fan of him running. Former President Barack Obama has reportedly expressed concern over his Vice President’s bid and even suggested he toy with the idea of forgoing the race.

“You don’t have to do this, Joe, you really don’t,” Obama said to Biden early in 2019, according to a New York Times source.

Insiders told the publication that Biden initially wanted to enter the 2016 race, but Obama advised him to sit it out, because he believed Hillary Clinton “had a better chance of building on his agenda.” On top of that, Obama was reportedly concerned about his friend’s mental state following the 2015 death of his son Beau.

Before announcing his candidacy in April, Joe Biden reportedly told Obama that “he could never forgive himself if he turned down a second shot at Mr. Trump.” Once Barack accepted that Biden was going to run for president, The Times reports that he requested meetings with Biden’s top advisers, including the former White House communications director Anita Dunn and Biden’s spokeswoman, Kate Bedingfield.

‘When they were done, Mr. Obama offered a pointed reminder, according to two people with knowledge of his comments: Win or lose, they needed to make sure Mr. Biden did not “embarrass himself” or “damage his legacy” during the campaign’ the report stated.

After watching certain parts of his campaign, it’s not hard to believe that Obama was worried about being embarrassed.

The former Vice President has made several blunders throughout his campaign, most recently catching a lot of flack for saying “poor kids are just as bright as white kids.”

As Democratic candidates continue to battle it out, Barack Obama has reportedly decided to remain neutral throughout the primaries, throwing his support behind his party’s eventual nominee.