President Barack Obama guards against complacency by urging Democrats to ‘run scared’ against Donald Trump
Obama has tried to avoid showing favouritism in the race between Clinton and Sanders to become party’s nominee.
Wooing Democratic donors on Friday in South Florida, President Barack Obama said the coming election is taking place in a “fascinating media environment” in which “strange things can happen” because celebrity and fame drive so much of the news coverage.
Obama said he generally just watches sports on television, but his staff told him presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump generated 70 per cent of recent news coverage. He called on Democrats to develop a sense of urgency.
I want us to run scared the whole time
“I want us to run scared the whole time,” Obama said at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.
Obama’s remarks come as party leaders expect Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state, to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination in the coming days. Clinton has 2,313 of the 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination, putting her ahead of Bernie Sanders. Contests in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend, and California, New Jersey and other states on Tuesday, are expected to put her over the edge.
Obama has tried to avoid showing favouritism in the race, wary of turning off Sanders supporters while votes are still being cast. But that pose is certain to shift quickly once Clinton is declared the presumptive nominee.
White House officials say the president is ready to get off the sidelines and become an active player on the campaign trail. Enjoying an uptick in his approval rating, Obama is likely to be welcomed by Clinton and Senate candidates in traditional Democratic strongholds and key battleground states.