Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama’s friendship explained
“Kamala Harris and I built our lives on the same foundational values,” says Michelle Obama about the first Black woman vice president in U.S. history. Read more about the relationship between two of the most influential women in politics.
It was the endorsement heard around the world. After much anxious debating over whether Barack and Michelle Obama would endorse Kamala Harris’ run for president in July, the former U.S. president and first lady came out front in support of her candidacy days after President Joe Biden passed the torch to his vice president.
“Hey there!” Michelle Obama can be heard saying over the speakerphone with Vice President Harris, captured on camera for a Harris campaign video.
“Aw you’re both together, it’s good to hear you both!” Harris responds.
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic,” said Mrs. Obama.
“Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I am looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both … The words you have spoken and the friendship you have given after all these years mean more than I can express.”
The friendship Harris referenced is rooted in a long political history of alliance between the first Black couple in the White House and the first Black vice president in American history.
Kamala Harris met Barack Obama in 2004 at his fundraiser when Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney. At the time, Obama was an Illinois state legislator running for the U.S. Senate.
Harris endorsed Obama in the Democratic primary as he faced the Goliath task of trying to beat out political giant Hillary Clinton. And with her help and the support of thousands of volunteers, he did, going on to win the presidency.
It’s assumed that as Kamala Harris and Barack Obama supported each other’s career ascensions, Harris also got to know his wife, Michelle Obama.
Years later, Harris met her now-husband, attorney Doug Emhoff, in 2013. By the following year, the couple was engaged, and six months later, they married on Aug. 22, 2014.
When the Obamas left the White House, Harris was clear about her support for their work and the impact of their legacy.
Michelle Obama was right by Harris’ side when she was officially inaugurated as the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president in American history. The two influential political women notably air-fist-bumped, their faces covered by masks due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But it was in August when Michelle Obama delivered her viral speech at the DNC, where the First Lady made clear her adamant support for Harris.
“Kamala Harris and I built our lives on the same foundational values,” Obama told the audience. “Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. That’s why her mother moved here from India at 19. It’s why she taught Kamala about justice, about the obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take.”
Michelle Obama continued, invoking a phrase of sisterhood and intimate friendship that we know well: “My girl.”
“My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment,” said Obama. “She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. And she is one of the most dignified. A tribute to her mother, to my mother, and to your mother, too. The embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. Her story is your story. It’s my story. It’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.”
Since the Obamas’ official endorsement in July and their powerful DNC speeches making the case for Kamala Harris’ presidency, Harris’ campaign has only gained steam.
Harris raised a historic $361 million in August, far exceeding what former President Donald Trump fundraiser. She is leading in select swing state polling but still within the margin of error – meaning that the race between Harris and Trump is tight.
If Michelle Obama’s endorsement reaches its full potential, Harris will make history again with the Obamas at the 2025 inauguration – this time as president.
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