Hillary Clinton reflected on her relationship with President Obama and pledged to build on his work if elected, as the two hit the campaign trail together for the first time in 2016.
Unlike when traveling with other campaign surrogates, Clinton introduced Obama rather than the other way around. The president and presumptive Democratic nominee hugged and walked out to Clinton’s campaign theme “Fight Song” as they waved to supporters in Charlotte, N.C. As Clinton stepped to the podium, Obama chanted “Hil-la-ry! Hil-la-ry!” along with the crowd.
“He was an opponent in a hard fought primary and the president I was honored to serve as secretary of state. But I’ve also known him as a friend that I was honored to stand with in the good times and hard times,” Clinton said of Obama, before unloading on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“Someone who has never forgotten where’s he’s come from. And Donald, if you’re out there tweeting, it’s Hawaii,” she quipped.
In the 2008 primary, Clinton and Obama were staunch rivals in a closely fought race. Clinton described her choice to endorse and campaign for Obama as something she was “happy” to do, and described her personal relationship with the president as one moving from “political rivals, to partners, to friends.”
“After all, he knows a thing or two about winning elections, take it from me,” Clinton said of Obama. “And he also knows that despite all the progress we’ve made under his leadership, and yes we have, we still have a lot of work to do.”
Clinton pledged to “build for the vision of America that President Obama has always championed.” She mentioned the economy, creating new jobs, improving healthcare and keeping America safe.
“This is a president who knows how to keep us safe and strong. Compare that to Donald Trump. Can you imagine him sitting in the Oval Office?” Clinton argued while standing behind a podium with the presidential seal.
She finally noted that both she and Obama have run historic campaigns. Before Obama took the stage, she declared, “We are here today because the story of America is one of hard-fought, hard-won progress!”
Their first joint appearance came just hours after the FBI announced it would not recommend charges against Clinton for her handling of her emails as Obama’s first secretary of state.
