White House press secretary Jen Psaki revealed that President Biden is in “regular” communication with former President Barack Obama.
“They consult and talk about a range of issues, and I would expect that continues through the course of President Biden’s presidency,” Psaki said. “That can be done over the phone, it turns out, and I think if President Obama had been here, you would all know.”
While Psaki wouldn’t say how often the two have spoken, she did say they “keep in regular touch” regarding a “range of issues.”
Psaki specifically mentioned Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act, as an issue the two have spoken about due to Biden’s commitment to strengthen the legislation.
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Biden’s administration includes many familiar faces from the one that he served in as vice president, including chief of staff Ron Klain, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Biden made the record of the Obama administration a central theme of his campaign, though his reluctance to embrace both the good and the bad parts of Obama’s legacy have rubbed some former administration officials the wrong way.
“My problem with Vice President Biden … every time something good about Barack Obama comes up, he says, ‘Oh, I was there, I was there, I was there, that’s me, too,’” said Julian Castro, who served as Obama’s housing secretary. “And then, every time somebody questions part of the administration that we were both part of, he says, ‘Well, that was the president.’ I mean, he wants to take credit for Obama’s work, but not have to answer to any questions.”
Biden and Obama have long had a complicated relationship, highlighted by Obama’s apparent delay to endorse his former vice president until late in the primary campaign.
Obama has also expressed confidence after Biden’s election victory that he would “be up to the job.”
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“I’m just gonna be like other American citizens, praying for him, hoping for his success,” Obama said. “I will be confident that he’ll be up to the job.”
