2024 Election Latest: The Obamas endorse Harris and Trump to meet with Netanyahu
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her campaign for the White House, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial support of the country’s two most popular Democrats.
The approval comes a day after Harris and President Joe Biden both met with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the meantime, Donald Trump is also expected to meet Netanyahu on FridayIt is the first time in nearly four years that Trump and Netanyahu have met.
Follow AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the latest news:
Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, is attempting to bridge the party’s divisions over the Gaza war, emphasizing Israel’s right to defend itself while focusing on alleviating Palestinian suffering.
She gave a speech after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, reflecting a delicate balancing act on one of the country’s most divisive political issues.
Some Democrats have criticized President Joe Biden’s steadfast support for Israel despite the rising death toll among Palestinians, and Harris is trying unite her party for the election battle with Republican candidate Donald Trump.
“We cannot look away from these tragedies,” she said. “We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to the suffering. And I will not be silent.” Harris also made a more explicit appeal to voters frustrated by the relentless bloodshed that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. “To all those who have called for a ceasefire and to all those who yearn for peace, I see you and I hear you,” she said.
▶ Read more about Harris’ meeting with Israeli Prime Minister
As president, Donald Trump went much further than his predecessors in fulfilling Israel’s prime ministerial duties Benjamin Netanyahu’s best wishes from the United States. But by the time Trump left the White House, relations between the two had broken down after Netanyahu was quick to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 presidential election.
On Friday, the two men will meet in person for the first time in almost four years, to test whether the relationship can still be repaired. Both have an interest in overcoming their differences.
For Trump and Netanyahu, Friday’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago will reinforce in front of their home crowd their image as strong leaders who have achieved great things on the world stage and can now do so again.
▶ Read more about the Meeting in Florida and the rift between the two men
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have expressed their support Kamala Harris in her campaign for the White House, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial support of the country’s two most popular Democrats.
The approval, which was announced on Friday in a video which shows Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple, comes as Harris builds momentum as their party’s presumptive nominee following President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election bid and support his second in command against Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump.
It also highlights the friendship and potentially historic bond between the nation’s first Black president and the first woman, first Black woman, and first person of Asian descent to serve as vice president, who is now fighting to break those barriers on the presidential stage.
▶ Read more about the support of the Obamas and what it means
The username “Kamala HQ” went live on Tuesday, after President Joe Biden’s campaign unveiled its own TikTok account on Super Bowl Sunday in February.
Both used the platform to reach young voters despite the presidential sign a law That would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the app or risk a US ban.
In the first post on her account, Harris says with a grin into the camera, “I thought I was going to go here myself.”