President Barack Obama officially endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president on Thursday, saying he is "fired up" for the presumptive Democratic candidate.
In a prerecorded video released Thursday, Obama latched onto the Clinton campaign's slogan, letting his supporters know that "I'm with her," and pledging to campaign for Clinton. The president's endorsement comes eight years and two days after Clinton did the same for him.
"I know how hard this job can be, that's why I know Hillary will be so good at it," Obama said. "In fact, I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office. She's got the courage, the compassion and the heart to get the job done."
"I've seen her judgement, I've seen her toughness, I've seen her commitment to our values up close," Obama added of his one-time rival.
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders met with Obama on Thursday — days after many news outlets named Clinton the party's presumptive nominee. Some pundits speculated that Obama would have sought to convince Sanders to drop out of the race, so the Democratic Party could rally around Clinton in preparation for a general election battle against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Instead, the Vermont senator pledged to fight on into next week's Washington, D.C., primary, but he thanked the White House for its role (or lack thereof) in the election so far.
"Let me begin by thanking President Obama and thanking Vice President (Joe) Biden for the degree of impartiality they established during the course of this entire process," Sanders said in brief remarks after his meeting. "What they said in the beginning is that they would not put their thumb on the scales, and in fact they kept their word, and I appreciate that very, very much."
Two Sanders camp sources told CNBC that Obama had "signaled" he would make a Clinton endorsement after their meeting ended Thursday.
"I assure you that Sen. Sanders was not surprised," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said during a Thursday news briefing, revealing that the video was recorded Tuesday.