Former US President Barack Obama was working against former vice president Kamala Harris, who ran in the 2024 presidential election race against Donald Trump after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential election race, authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes claimed in their new book.

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Allen, a senior political reporter at NBC News, claimed that Obama did not believe that Kamala Harris would win against Donald Trump. 

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“President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama,” Allen told MSNBC in an interview. “And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats.”

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He further claimed that Obama was working behind the scenes and advocated for an open primary as he did not have faith in the former vice president’s ability to defeat Trump.

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“He (Barack Obama) worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention, did not have faith in her ability to win the election,” the author told MSNBC.

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Allen and Parnes's book ‘Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House’ was released on Tuesday (Apr 1). 

Allen added that Obama, who served as the US president from 2008 to 2016, was not willing to endorse Harris when he talked with her on the day Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

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US presidential election 2024

Ahead of the US presidential elections last year, former president Joe Biden faced criticism from his own party following a presidential debate against his opponent Donald Trump, forcing him to drop out of the race.

The Democrat vice president took his spot after she was nominated to run for president. However, she lost her bid when the 78-year-old Trump won in a remarkable comeback, securing his second term in office.

(With inputs from agencies)