By Bronte Price, PoliticKING
In a video taped on Tuesday and released Thursday President Barack Obama officially endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president. Hillary Clinton is the first woman to be the presumptive nominee for a major political party in the United States.
"I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," Obama said in the video. "I want those of you who have been with me since the beginning of this incredible journey to be the first to know that I'm with her," Obama continued. "I am fired up. And I can't wait to get out there and campaign with Hillary."
"Honored to have you with me, @POTUS. I'm fired up and ready to go!" Hillary Tweeted on Thursday, signing it with "-H" to indicate the tweet was from the former secretary of state personally.
President Obama endorses Hillary: "I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office." https://t.co/KetvKoa853
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 9, 2016
Bernie Sanders met with President Obama on Thursday morning, two days after news outlets named Clinton the Democratic presumptive nominee.
"Let me begin by thanking President Obama and thanking Vice President [Joe] Biden for the degree of impartiality they established during the course of this entire process," Sanders told reporters after his meeting with the President. "What they said in the beginning is that they would not put their thumb on the scales, and in fact they kept their word, and I appreciate that very, very much."
WATCH: Pres. Obama endorses Hillary Clinton for president. "I'm with her" https://t.co/WnC7aPZnjlhttps://t.co/Ny93C3np8n
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 9, 2016
Clinton's presumptive victory is based on her delegate count, but Sanders is not technically eliminated as he could still, in theory, sway the unbound Democratic superdelegates to his side. Even so, Hillary Clinton has won the majority of votes, pledged delegates, and superdelegates.
The White House said on Tuesday that Obama called Clinton to congratulate her on "securing the delegates necessary to clinch the Democratic nomination for president."
Obama also called Sanders on Tuesday in order to make plans for the Thursday meeting, at the Vermont senator's request.
Despite Sanders' losses in Tuesday's California and New Jersey primaries, the senator's campaign has said it he will not bow out of the race before the convention in July. Sanders said he would “fight hard to win” the final primary, in DC next week, and he would continue “our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice” at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.
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