In the chaotic power vacuum that followed President Joe Biden’s stunning exit from the 2024 race, a behind-the-scenes battle erupted — one that pitted two of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable figures against each other: Kamala Harris and Barack Obama. According to the bombshell new book Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House by veteran political reporters Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, former Vice President Kamala Harris was “very annoyed” with Obama as she raced toward clinching the Democratic nomination — only to find her party’s most iconic living figure missing in action. “As the hours rolled by, and it became clear that she was well on her way to seizing the nomination by storm, Obama’s opposition to her grew more confounding,” the book reports. “Harris was ‘very annoyed’ with him, according to a confidant. They had plenty of donors and political allies in common. The rest of the party threw in with her. Where was Obama?” The answer, it turns out, was that Obama didn’t want her to run — and wasn’t afraid to quietly work against her rise. The former president, the authors reveal, did not believe Harris could beat Donald Trump. He feared she lacked the political strength to unify the party and capture the general electorate. And so, even as the Democratic establishment coalesced behind her, Obama began exploring ways to stop her momentum — floating the idea of an open convention or a “mini-primary” to find an alternative nominee. “President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue,” Allen told MSNBC in a Tuesday interview. “And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He did not have faith in her ability to win the election.” But once it became clear that Harris had the wind at her back, Obama was faced with a dilemma: risk fracturing the party — or fall in line. According to the book, Obama eventually recognized that “his actions against Biden and Harris could diminish him in the eyes of Democratic elites.” A person close to him admitted, “there was a little bit of mending that had to be done.” Obama waited five days after Biden dropped out to formally endorse Harris — an eternity in modern political warfare. And even that support came after a delicate, almost theatrical negotiation. Concerned about campaign cash, Harris’s team wanted maximum impact from Obama’s blessing. In the end, they staged a video of Barack and Michelle Obama calling Harris — with Harris pretending to be surprised. “To seem real, Harris had to fake surprise and enthusiasm about what should have been an obvious endorsement from both Obamas,” the book says. “It took days of intense negotiations to strike a deal on the simplest act in politics… This was typical [garbage].” Still, Harris ultimately accepted the terms — understanding that in the battle against Trump, optics of unity were paramount. But the authors note that “the quality and authenticity of the endorsement took a back seat.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)