Joe Biden Still Turns To Barack Obama For Advice During His Own Presidency

Getting a new job and getting trained by someone who had that job before you is a bit more serious when your job is president of the United States of America. And President Joe Biden is not above getting assistance from his former colleague and former President Barack Obama. 

In a May 2024 interview with Erin Burnett from CNN, Biden confirmed that he gets advice from Obama, whom Biden served under as vice president. Biden and Burnett discussed the upcoming 2024 election, and Burnett quoted Obama saying, "This is an all-hands-on-deck moment," referring to how things between Biden and former President Donald Trump will likely be neck-and-neck. Burnett then asked about advice Biden's received from Obama. 

Biden shared the guidance "Keep doing what I'm doing and to make sure, what his advice is the same advice he sort of gave me when I was the vice president: 'Look, you've gotta organize. Block and tackle,'" Biden said. He talked more about his campaign and how hard people were working to get him re-elected, adding, "And we have raised more money than any president has at this point in the campaign." Biden was feeling confident, perhaps similar to how he could've felt in 2020 when he sent a powerful message with his first tweet as president-elect.

The advice Barack Obama gave Joe Biden isn't the only support he's providing Biden for the 2024 election. At a lunchtime meeting at the White House in June 2023, Obama and Biden reportedly talked about how imperative winning the 2024 election would be. NBC News credited the Washington Post for first publishing an article about that meeting, where Obama reportedly shared some worries about Donald Trump and told Biden he'd be in his corner. Two sources confirmed the details to NBC. A spokesperson for Obama, Eric Schultz, told the outlet, "Just as he always has, President Obama looks forward to supporting Democrats up and down the ballot next fall, and no race has bigger stakes than President Biden's re-election." He talked about their plans, especially to get new people interested, and added, "We are deliberate in picking our moments because our objective is to move the needle."

At his June 2023 White House meeting, Obama joined Biden to record campaign videos. They did so again during Obama's March 2024 meeting, per insiders for CNN. A senior adviser for Biden also spoke on Obama's support, saying, "He has been generous with his time, and he has made it very clear that he is all in on this campaign."

However, it seems like Biden and Obama are friends beyond their shared political interests. For instance, Joe filmed a virtual birthday tribute for Obama's 60th birthday. And Obama has also supported Biden during one of his hardest moments in life. 

After the tragic death of his son Beau Biden, Joe Biden told a story solidifying his friendship with Barack Obama. Beau died of brain cancer in May 2015, and he'd also had a stroke in 2010. For a while, it was up in the air if Beau would be able to continue as the Delaware attorney general after his stroke (he eventually was able to until the end of his second term in 2015). In a 2016 CNN interview, Joe recalled telling Obama he was concerned about finances if Beau couldn't work. Joe considered selling his and Jill Biden's house in Wilmington, Delaware to help Beau's wife Hallie Biden and their two kids, Natalie Biden and Robert Biden II.

"[Obama] got up and he said, 'Don't sell that house. Promise me you won't sell the house,'" Joe told CNN. He continued, "He said, 'I'll give you the money. Whatever you need, I'll give you the money. Don't, Joe — promise me. Promise me.'" Even when Joe said he didn't think they'd need to sell, Obama still told him to promise he wouldn't.

Former White House press secretary Josh Earnest did an interview with CNN's "New Day" and spoke about the friendship between the politicians. "Obviously, the president and the vice president have developed the kind of personal relationship that just transcends their professional responsibilities," he said. That seems to be very true.