Former President Barack Obama congratulated former Vice President Joe Biden on his South Carolina win but is not planning to endorse him anytime soon, CNN reports.
Obama called Biden on Saturday after his former veep won South Carolina by nearly 30 points.
But people close to Obama say he doesn’t plan to get involved in the race.
"We are skeptical that an endorsement coming from us could truly change the political winds right now," a source close to Obama told CNN, adding that if Obama endorses Biden there is "a very real chance it backfires."
Obama hopes to unify the party:
Obama is expected to get involved later in the process to help unify the party.
"He feels that he's singularly positioned to help unify the party at the end of this,” the source told CNN. "And if he were try to put his thumb on the scale now, it would take away his ability to do so when it's most needed -- the general election."
"So he's prepared to play a vigorous role in coalescing the party around the nominee and working to defeat Trump, but weighing in now likely only divides things worse and weakens his standing for when the Party will need it most,” the person added.
Biden plays it cool:
“Is the fact that Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed you hurting you, and is it time?” ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked Biden on Sunday.
"No, It isn’t hurting me. I don't think it's time. He and I have talked about this in the very beginning--I have to earn this of my own," Biden replied.
"The first thing everybody said when I announced, the opposition -- the Democratic opposition -- said 'Biden feels entitled because he's vice president.' Imagine, had president endorsed me, it would have been 'Biden’s entitled' because -- he thinks he's entitled because -- of the president’s endorsement. The president and I are close friends, and I have no doubt when I win this nomination he will be out there full bore for me,” he added.
