Barack Obama has officially endorsed Joe Biden for President in the 2020 general election.

This announcement comes only a day after Bernie Sanders did the same, endorsing Biden and effectively ending his own campaign — though he will remain on the ballot in all states that still have upcoming primary elections.

It isn't a shock to see Obama endorse Biden, who served as his vice president during both of his presidential terms.

Obama's endorsement comes during a crucial moment in America. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is spreading, killing tens of thousands of people. The platform of structural changes that Joe Biden and a majority of the democratic field have proposed are being brought to the forefront of the American consciousness as we see these same systems faltering on national levels. Things like access to healthcare, wealth inequality, and the way our government currently operates are all being tested by the pandemic.

In his speech endorsing Biden, Obama gave these nine reasons why he thinks he can defeat Trump and lead America in a stronger, more honest, and democratic way:

1. He cares about the middle class, not just the wealthy and elite.

According to Obama, Biden was always the person asking what every policy of his would do for the middle class and those aspiring to be in the middle class.

While Obama praised Biden for caring about the majority of Americans, Trump has given billions in tax cuts to the wealthy.

2. Obama asked Biden to implement the Recovery Act

The Recovery Act saved millions of jobs and got people back on their feet. According to the White House, it was a "$100 billion investment in innovation." It created new jobs and helped to "accelerate significant advances in science and technology that cut costs for consumers, save[d] lives and help[ed] keep America competitive in the 21st-Century economy."

3. Biden helped manage the swine flu (H1N1) and helped prevent Ebola from becoming what the coronavirus pandemic has become.

Under Obama's presidency, two Americans died of Ebola and 12,469 died from H1N1 — about half of the number of Americans who have already died from COVID-19.

Obama said Biden's response to situations like this that test our country, leadership, and everyone across the nation, will be from a space of experience and know-how

4. Obama believes Biden will surround himself with experts, scientists, and military people who "actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job."

Trump has questioned climate science and has dismissed a massive amount of people from his administration, while many have also resigned. He has come to verbal blows with Anthony Fauci, a senior health advisor to the White House, for his approach to handling COVID-19.

Obama argued that Biden will surround himself with people that are knowledgeable and care about the issues they are facing and that Biden won't just dismiss them because they question his authority.

5. Biden will always put the American people's interests above his own.

Where Donald Trump has prioritized his own interests throughout his presidency, Obama said Biden will always look out for the American people first.

6. Biden understands that we have to look towards the future.

"Republicans aren't interested in progress, they are interested in power," said Obama. For Biden, an interest in the future is not an interest in his own personal power as a President, it's an interest in giving agency and power to our future generations to have a chance to lead us even further by not cleaning up the mistakes of the past first.

7. Expanding health insurance is a major priority for Biden

Republicans are still fighting to repeal the Affordable Care Act which would eliminate preexisting conditions protections for millions of Americans.

Biden's plan is to protect the Affordable Care Act and to build on it, helping even more people get affordable health insurance rather than limiting, and taking people off insurance that they desperately need.

Especially during a pandemic, affordable health insurance is not just a high-minded idea, but a desperate need for people who cannot afford lofty hospital bills and doctor's fees.

8. "Coronavirus has shown us that government matters."

Obama said that coronavirus has given the American people a reminder that a good and decent government matters. "That facts and science matter." Calling out the inept approach the Trump administration has had to the coronavirus, Obama is calling out the fact that especially during a time like this, government is one of the most crucial things in society.

It helps mitigate what happens after a pandemic hits and is a force that leads an entire society to overcome and come out stronger. Given Biden's work on Ebola and H1N1, he has experience in management and leadership during something as enormous as coronavirus.

9. Republicans don't care about the earth.

In his endorsement, Obama said, "They've given polluters unlimited power to poison our air and our water and denied the science of climate change just as they denied the science of pandemics."

The Trump administration is a fan of fracking, which can have disastrous effects on the environment and exacerbate the climate crisis. Biden has a plan for climate change that reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050. It uses fracking as a transitional fuel, but with the intent of moving quickly towards clean energy in a way that doesn't displace people from jobs but also prioritizes the Earth.

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Obama truly believes that the future of America rests on this election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. He said, "The other side has a massive war chest. The other side has a propaganda network with little regard for the truth."

The Trump Administrations has been uninformed, dishonest, and is driving people apart according to Obama. And it has been marred and "characterized by corruption, self-dealing, disinformation, ignorance, and just plain meanness," Obama said.

While Joe Biden is the only candidate left in the Democratic field, it is clear that he has a major backing from the majority of the Democratic party and one of its most important people, President Obama.

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