Biden’s new campaign ad features Obama speech praising him

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign rolled out a new ad on Friday featuring former President Obama praising him during a 2017 speech.

“We all know that on its own, his work does not capture the full measure of Joe Biden,” Obama says in the 30-second spot, with Obama’s speech taken from a Medal of Freedom presentation. “When Joe talks about opportunity for our children, we hear the father who rode the rails home every night so he could be there to tuck his kids into bed.”

“When Joe talks to Gold Star families who’ve lost a hero, we hear another father of an American veteran,” Obama continues. “A resilient, and loyal, and humble servant. The best part is he’s nowhere close finished.” 

The ad is another example of how closely Biden has tied himself during his presidential campaign to Obama, who is arguably the most popular figure in the Democratic Party. 

However, the former president has so far stayed neutral in the 2020 Democratic primary. 

Biden told Politico last month that he did not need an Obama endorsement, arguing that his connection to the former president is already clear to voters. 

“Everyone knows I’m close with him,” he said. “I don’t need an Obama endorsement.”

Biden has scored a number of endorsements from former Obama administration officials, most recently from former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on Wednesday.