Hillary Clinton endorses Biden’s White House bid

In this file photo former US Vice President Joe R. Biden (L) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laugh during a portrait unveiling for outgoing Senate Minority Leader Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) on Capitol Hill December 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is to hold a video conference with Joe Biden on April 28, 2020 during which she is expected to endorse his White House bid.
Clinton, who headed the Democratic ticket against Republican Donald Trump in 2016, announced on Twitter that she would be the “surprise guest” at a virtual town hall with Biden at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women. Brendan Smialowski / AFP

WASHINGTON, DC (AFP) — Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton endorsed Joe Biden’s White House bid on Tuesday, saying he is the type of “leader” the United States needs during the current coronavirus crisis.

“I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president,” Clinton said during a live video conference with the former vice president.

“I wish you were president right now,” the former First Lady and Secretary of State said, who lost to Donald Trump in 2016.

“Joe Biden has been preparing for this moment his entire life,” Clinton said. “I’ve had the privilege to work with him.

“This is a moment that we need a leader, a president, like Joe Biden,” she said.

“Think of what it would mean if we had a real president not just somebody who plays one on TV,” she added in a jab at Trump, Biden’s expected opponent in November.

“Just think of what a difference it would make right now if we had a president who not only listened to the science with facts over fiction, but brought us together,” said Clinton.

Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee to face Trump in November although he will not be officially nominated until the party convention, which has been pushed back to August because of the virus outbreak.

The former vice president has already been endorsed by Barack Obama, whom he served beside, and one-time rivals for the Democratic nomination Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, among others.