Hillary Clinton endorses Joe Biden in US presidential election
28 April 2020, 20:49
Hillary Clinton has endorsed Joe Biden's bid to become the next US president.
Mrs Clinton, the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, announced her support in a virtual town hall meeting with Mr Biden on Tuesday.
Her endorsement is the latest sign of the Democratic Party rallying around its nominee to challenge President Donald Trump.
During the meeting, Mrs Clinton said: “I am thrilled to be part of your campaign, to not only endorse you but to help highlight a lot of these issues that are at stake in this presidential election.”
In a jibe at the current President, Mrs Clinton added: “Just think of what a difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science ... but brought us together.
COVID-19 is affecting the entire nation, but the impact doesn’t look the same for everyone. I'm hosting a town hall on how COVID-19 is impacting women — and I'll be joined by special guest Hillary Clinton. Tune in now to watch: https://t.co/sQBaHGHgRQ
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 28, 2020
“Think of what it would mean if we had a real president, not just someone who plays one on TV.
“Joe Biden has been preparing for this moment his entire life.”
Mr Biden, who served as Barack Obama’s vice president, has also picked up support from former President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and leading progressives such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Former President Bill Clinton, has not yet publicly endorsed Biden.
Mrs Clinton teased the announcement by tweeting a picture of her, Mr Biden and then President Barack Obama laughing in the Oval Office.
A little hint about who the surprise guest will be for @JoeBiden's 3pm ET town hall today:
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 28, 2020
(She's excited.) pic.twitter.com/iGHo6a6G1s
As the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, Mrs Clinton made history by becoming the first woman to lead a major party's ticket.
Although she beat Mr Trump by three million votes in the 2016 popular vote, her opponent won comfortably in the all-important Electoral College by taking several key states, notably in the Rust Belt.
Mr Biden has pledged to select a woman as his vice president.
Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, said in a statement: “There is no greater concentration of Democrat establishment than Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton together.
“Both of them carry the baggage of decades in the Washington swamp and both of them schemed to keep the Democrat nomination from Bernie Sanders.”