Kerry endorses Biden in 2020 race: He ‘can beat Donald Trump’

Former Secretary of State John Kerry threw his support behind Joe Biden’s presidential campaign on Thursday, saying that the former vice president is “uniquely the person running for president who can beat Donald Trump” in 2020.

“I believe Joe Biden is the President our country desperately needs right now, not because I’ve known Joe so long, but because I know Joe so well,” Kerry, a former U.S. senator and the Democratic Party’s 2004 presidential nominee, said in a statement released by Biden’s campaign.{mosads}

“I’ve never before seen the world more in need of someone who on day one can begin the incredibly hard work of putting back together the world Donald Trump has smashed apart.”

Kerry is expected to join Biden on his bus tour in Iowa on Friday before traveling to New Hampshire with the former vice president on Sunday, Biden’s team said.

Kerry’s endorsement comes at a critical time for Biden’s campaign. The former vice president has seen his front-runner status challenged in recent months, as rivals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg have made gains in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states that hold the first nominating contests of 2020.

At the same time, he has lagged behind his top rivals in fundraising, ending the most recent fundraising quarter with less than $9 million in the bank.

Biden and Kerry served together in the Senate for more than two decades. They worked together once again in the administration of former President Obama, Biden as vice president and Kerry as secretary of State.

Kerry is the second Obama administration Cabinet member to endorse Biden in the presidential race. Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack backed Biden’s White House bid last month.

Kerry has been a frequent critic of Trump, decrying the president’s decisions to withdraw from the Paris climate accord and a nuclear deal with Iran, both of which were negotiated under the Obama administration.

In his statement, Kerry focused heavily on Biden’s foreign policy experience, saying the former vice president is the leader capable of restoring the United States’s prominence in the world following Trump’s presidency.

“Joe will defeat Donald Trump next November,” Kerry said. “He’s the candidate with the wisdom and standing to fix what Trump has broken, to restore our place in the world, and improve the lives of working people here at home.”