In her June 2008 concession speech for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton pledged to do all she could to propel Barack Obama to the White House. On Tuesday he returned the favour.
After months of waiting on the sidelines while his Ms Clinton battled Senator Bernie Sanders to be Democratic nominee, the President hit the campaign trail on Tuesday in what was likely the first of many trips to urge voters to make his one-time rival his successor. Mr Obama endorsed Ms Clinton in June with a forceful video in which he stated that no one had been so qualified for the job. But a planned joint appearance shortly thereafter was postponed after the shooting at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida.
He started in North Carol-ina, a state the President won in the 2008 general election but lost narrowly in 2012. Mr Obama’s first campaign appearance with the former First Lady will close a circle of sorts on a relationship that started as colleagues in the US Senate, grew tense as rivals in the 2008 race, and became close as partners in the Obama administration when she served as his top diplomat.
“(He) has developed a deep appreciation for her toughness under fire and her commitment to a set of values that the President shares...,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Friday.
