This is not a good look.
When former President Barack Obama visited the White House on Tuesday to celebrate 12 years of Obamacare, President Joe Biden fell into the shadows, playing second fiddle to Obama, who took center stage.
Biden was Obama’s vice president for two terms before finally winning the Presidency on his third attempt at the White House. But despite holding the White House, Obama still emerged as the top dog among Democrats on Tuesday as lawmakers and administration officials flocked to Obama’s side while seemingly ignoring Biden.
Taking to the stage to welcome Obama, Biden started by saying, “My name is Joe Biden. I’m Barack Obama’s vice president,” a statement that received cheers from the crowd and pointed to his former boss’s star power.
Biden continued his joke, “And I’m Jill Biden’s husband,” which received a far more muted response.
When Obama took the stage, he was also greeted with cheers, repeating Biden’s joke with the opening line: “Thank you Vice President Biden.”
In videos and images that emerged after Obama had given his speech, the former President is seen being mobbed by the crowd while Biden — appearing confused, embarrassed, and, at times, irritated — wanders around in the background with no one in the crowd giving him much attention.
The scenes which emerged in the clips online give credence to polls that show Obama remains popular among Democratic voters and is still more popular than Biden despite Biden being President.
A poll by Morning Consult/Politico discovered that Obama and his wife Michelle were the most popular speakers at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, with 91 percent of participants viewing the couple favorably.
It appears that in the run-up to the midterm elections, Democrats are attempting to tap into some of Obama’s popularity, with one Democratic strategist saying, according to The Hill, that Democrats “need a jolt of energy right now, and no one brings that more than Obama.”
