Fact check: No, Obama has not promised to vote for Trump in 2024 – USA TODAY
The claim: Obama vowed not to support Biden in the 2024 election and promised to vote for Trump
Former President Barack Obama endorsed and campaigned for then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. In his speeches, Obama was critical of then-President Donald Trump for everything from his response to the pandemic to his “obsession with crowd size.”
A widely viewed Facebook video, however, claims Obama no longer supports Biden, his onetime vice president, and has instead promised to vote for Trump in the 2024 election.
“Obama Unleashes On Biden With ‘No 2024’ Support … Promises Trump Vote,” reads the caption of the Oct. 13 video, which was viewed more than 17,000 times in seven days.
But the claim is false. Neither Biden nor Trump have formally announced a reelection bid, though both have hinted at it. Obama, meanwhile, has remained supportive of Biden, recently praising his student debt relief plan and his role in passing the Inflation Reduction Act. There is no evidence Obama has started supporting Trump.
The 18-minute video doesn’t ever actually claim Obama disavowed Biden. Instead, it’s a portion of an unrelated Newsmax broadcast.
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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.
Obama has remained supportive of Biden, critical of Trump
In April, Obama returned to the White House to promote the Affordable Care Act, which Biden hoped to build on. It was his first time back in the building since leaving office in January 2017.
“Welcome back to the White House, man,” Biden told Obama at the event. “It feels like the good old days.”
Obama was also back at the White House in September, this time with his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, for the unveiling of their official portraits. Biden spoke at that event too, telling Obama “nothing could have prepared me better or more to become president … than be at your side for eight years.”
Obama has continued to be critical of Trump since Biden took office. In an interview weeks after the 2020 election, Obama told NBC News he was troubled by Republicans defending Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud, saying Trump “has shown only a flimsy relationship with the truth.”
With the midterms approaching, Obama plans to host campaign rallies later this month in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, hoping to help Democratic candidates in those states, according to The Washington Post.
There are no recent statements supportive of Trump on Obama’s verified social media accounts, and in a video released Wednesday, Obama urged voters not to skip the midterm elections, warning “our fundamental rights are on the ballot.”
“If we elect more Democrats to Congress, President Biden can codify Roe v. Wade and protect abortion rights,” he said.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Obama vowed not to support Biden in the 2024 election and instead promised to vote for Trump. Obama endorsed Biden ahead of the 2020 election and held several campaign events for him, during which he often criticized Trump. Obama has continued to support Biden and plans to campaign for other prominent Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.
Our fact-check sources:
- USA TODAY, April 14, 2020, ‘Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now’: Barack Obama endorses Joe Biden
- Politico, Oct. 21, 2020, Obama goes full throttle for Biden
- CNN, Oct. 27, 2020, Obama slams Trump over coronavirus: ‘He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage’
- The Associated Press, Oct. 31, 2020, Obama criticizes Trump in scathing, personal terms
- CBS News, Sept. 18, President Biden says he hasn’t decided on 2024 reelection run
- Barack Obama, Oct. 18, Tweet
- Barack Obama, Sept. 13, Tweet
- USA TODAY, April 5, With Obama’s help, Biden announces proposed fix to ACA’s ‘family glitch’
- USA TODAY, Sept. 7, Obamas return to the White House for unveiling of official portraits
- NBC News, Nov. 19, 2020, Obama says Republicans going along with Trump because they’re ‘intimidated’
- The Washington Post, Oct. 15, Obama to campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia
- Barack Obama, accessed Oct. 20, Twitter profile
- Barack Obama, accessed Oct. 20, Facebook profile
- Barack Obama, Oct. 19, Tweet
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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
