Fact check: No, Barack Obama has not promised to vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 election

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The claim: Obama vowed not to support Biden in the 2024 election and promised to vote for Trump

Former President Barack Obama endorsed and campaigned for then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. In his speeches, Obama was critical of then-President Donald Trump for everything from his response to the pandemic to his “obsession with crowd size.”

A widely viewed Facebook video, however, claims Obama no longer supports Biden, his onetime vice president, and has instead promised to vote for Trump in the 2024 election.

“Obama Unleashes On Biden With ‘No 2024’ Support … Promises Trump Vote,” reads the caption of the Oct. 13 video, which was viewed more than 17,000 times in seven days.

But the claim is false. Neither Biden nor Trump have formally announced a reelection bid, though both have hinted at it. Obama, meanwhile, has remained supportive of Biden, recently praising his student debt relief plan and his role in passing the Inflation Reduction Act. There is no evidence Obama has started supporting Trump.

The 18-minute video doesn’t ever actually claim Obama disavowed Biden. Instead, it’s a portion of an unrelated Newsmax broadcast.

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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, followed by first lady Jill Biden and former first lady Michelle Obama, arrive in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, for the unveiling of the official White House portraits.
President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, followed by first lady Jill Biden and former first lady Michelle Obama, arrive in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, for the unveiling of the official White House portraits.

Obama has remained supportive of Biden, critical of Trump

In April, Obama returned to the White House to promote the Affordable Care Act, which Biden hoped to build on. It was his first time back in the building since leaving office in January 2017.

"Welcome back to the White House, man," Biden told Obama at the event. "It feels like the good old days."

Obama was also back at the White House in September, this time with his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, for the unveiling of their official portraits. Biden spoke at that event too, telling Obama "nothing could have prepared me better or more to become president ... than be at your side for eight years."

Obama has continued to be critical of Trump since Biden took office. In an interview weeks after the 2020 election, Obama told NBC News he was troubled by Republicans defending Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud, saying Trump "has shown only a flimsy relationship with the truth."

With the midterms approaching, Obama plans to host campaign rallies later this month in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, hoping to help Democratic candidates in those states, according to The Washington Post.

There are no recent statements supportive of Trump on Obama’s verified social media accounts, and in a video released Wednesday, Obama urged voters not to skip the midterm elections, warning "our fundamental rights are on the ballot."

"If we elect more Democrats to Congress, President Biden can codify Roe v. Wade and protect abortion rights," he said.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Obama vowed not to support Biden in the 2024 election and instead promised to vote for Trump. Obama endorsed Biden ahead of the 2020 election and held several campaign events for him, during which he often criticized Trump. Obama has continued to support Biden and plans to campaign for other prominent Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Obama has not promised to vote for Trump in 2024