Barack Obama said to be planning to endorse Kamala Harris for president soon

Former US president Barack Obama is believed to be planning an endorsement of Kamala Harris soon, but is holding back as he does not want to overshadow Joe Biden’s moment.

Mr Obama and former first-lady Michelle Obama are in support of Ms Harris’s candidacy after the vice president consolidated her party’s support following Mr Biden’s withdrawal from the race, reported NBC, citing at least four sources familiar with the matter.

Mr Obama has been in regular touch with Ms Harris and privately has fully supported her candidacy, the report said.

«Aides to Obama and Harris also have discussed arranging for the two of them to appear together on the campaign trail, though no date has been set,» sources told NBC.

On Monday an AP survey showed Ms Harris had received the backing of more than 2,200 Democratic delegates within 24 hours of being endorsed by Mr Biden. That represents around 64 per cent of delegates, comfortably exceeding the 1,976 needed to secure the nomination in the first round of voting at next month’s party convention.

It means Ms Harris is all-but assured to become the presidential nominee from the Democratic party and face off against Republican Donald Trump in the November election. So far no one else has stepped up to challenge her for the nomination.

Mr Obama’s support would be a high-profile endorsement for Ms Harris as he is one of the only top figures in the party who is yet to back her publicly.

A source told NBC Mr Obama did not want to overshadow the president’s moment – formally handing over the reigns of the 2024 campaign to Ms Harris and setting out his agenda for the remaining six months of his term. Though he announced his decision to step aside on Sunday in a letter posted to social media, Mr