ABC reporter Jonathan Karl says the relationship between former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden has soured — noting that the two recently dined at the same restaurant but didn’t acknowledge each other.
Karl told Katie Couric on her podcast that both former presidents were seen at Washington, D.C.’s Café Milano last month — their security teams even had to clear space for one another, Fox News reported. Despite the close quarters, the two never spoke to each other.
“They didn’t interact at all. They were in the same restaurant?” Couric pressed, asking Karl what their friendship is now like.
Karl, promoting his book Retribution, said the relationship is “really bad,” claiming the Bidens largely blame Obama for pressuring him to exit the presidential race last year after his disastrous summer debate against President Trump.
“It’s not a good relationship. If they had wanted to see each other, they absolutely would have,” Karl said, telling Couric, “Biden and the people around him very much blame Barack Obama for the effort to push Biden out of the campaign.”
He noted that Biden worked the phones to shore up support for Vice President Kamala Harris after Democrats switched nominees — but reportedly never reached out to Obama.
“I was astounded to hear that the one person he did not call was Barack Obama, the person that really made it possible for him to be president by making him vice president,” Karl revealed, explaining that Obama reportedly called Biden, who did not take the call. “He didn’t take the call, and the two of them did not speak for weeks.”
Obama swiftly endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee in late July 2024, saying she had the “vision, character, and strength” needed for the moment. The revelations come amid long-running speculation that Obama, not Biden, wielded real influence during Biden’s term — and follow a July incident in which Biden appeared to freeze onstage at a star-studded fundraiser until Obama guided him off.
Biden freezes before Obama grabs his arm and leads him off stage. Yikes! 😳 pic.twitter.com/nCgAGitoQ6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 16, 2024
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