Barack Obama reportedly skeptical of Joe Biden’s 2020 White House run “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up”

Barack Obama publicly endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden — but has privately expressed grave concerns about his former veep’s 2020 White House run, a report said.

“Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up,” the former president told an unnamed Democrat, who told Politico about the conversation— reportedly reflective of a strained history between the two.

Former Obama Administration officials painted the relationship as warm and genuinely close — but fraught with tension over the gap between Biden’s old-school backslapping and Obama’s hyper-prepared wonkiness, the outlet reported.

“You could certainly see technocratic eye-rolling at times,” according to former White House communications director Jen Psaki, who recalled other aides chortling at Biden’s frequent gaffes and lack of discipline.

That attitude contributed to Obama’s decision to back Hillary Clinton for the party’s 2016 nomination over Biden.

“The president was not encouraging,” Biden recalled in his 2017 memoir.

When Biden threw his hat in the 2020 presidential mix last year, Obama kept his distance for months — and continued to talk him down behind the scenes.

During the run-up to this year’s Iowa caucuses, one Biden rival told Politico, Obama privately reminisced about the bond he formed with the state’s voters during his 2008 campaign.

But Biden struggled to grasp the electorate, #44 reportedly said. “You know who really doesn’t have it?” “Joe Biden.”

The former commander in chief finally endorsed Biden on April 14.

“I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now,” Obama said at the time. “He’s someone whose own life has taught him how to persevere,”

via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/15/barack-obama-reportedly-undercuts-bidens-2020-white-house-run/

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File