Is The New York Post Going to Retract Flimsy Obama Piece Now That He’s Endorsed Harris?

AP Photo/John Minchillo

The political news cycle the past few weeks has been an exhaustingly wild rollercoaster , making the task of accurate reporting especially challenging. But a recent article at The New York Post stands out for not just its credulous amplification of thinly-sourced reporting, but also the swiftness with which it was proved to be totally, laughably wrong.

Friday morning, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign released a video showing former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama endorsing her candidacy. The video showed a phone call that took place earlier in the week, in which the Obamas voiced their enthusiastic support for Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and she won over enough delegates.

Just two days ago, a July 24 article labeled as a Post “Exclusive” by Isabel Vincent and Jon Levine was published at 5:09 pm ET (that timestamp will be relevant later) and headlined “Obama doesn’t believe Kamala Harris can beat Trump, which is why he hasn’t endorsed her: sources.”

“Former President Barack Obama hasn’t endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid because he doesn’t think she can beat Donald Trump , according to a source close to the Biden family,” the article claimed, calling Obama a “notable exception” among the “Democratic elite” who had been “quick to rally behind Harris,” adding the claim he was “very upset because he knows she can’t win.”

This anonymous source is then quoted offering harsh criticism of Harris that sounds far more like the talking points on Fox & Friends than what an alleged Democratic insider would say:

“Obama knows she’s just incompetent — the border czar who never visited the border, saying that all migrants should have health insurance. She cannot navigate the landmines that are ahead of her.”

“When you are running for president, there are things you can and can’t say.”

…

“Wait until the debate … She can’t debate. She’s going to put her foot in her mouth about Israel, Palestine, Ukraine. She’s going to say something really stupid,” the source said.

(Note that this article is still clinging to the claims in Vincent’s July 22 article that used similarly thin anonymous sources to accuse Democrats of “an elaborate set-up” to tank Biden’s debate performance and force him from the race.)

In the July 24 article, Vincent and Levine go on to claim that Obama wanted Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — who is on Harris’ VP shortlist — “at the top of the ticket” and was “furious” and “surprised” when Biden endorsed Harris.

The Post cited “[a]nother well-placed Democratic source” with more dunks on Obama, quoting this person — who, again, sounds more like a citizen of the MAGAverse or a disgruntled ex-employee than any sort of Biden world insider — bashing the 44th president as being afflicted with a “personal inability to see politics beyond his singular, immediate interests” who “always thinks he is the smartest and coolest guy in the room” and mocks his friendship with George Clooney .

Oh, and then there is finally an on-the-record source…oh, wait. It’s Rod Blagojevich , who even the Post must acknowledge is a “disgraced” former Illinois governor — and “a former Democrat who is now supporting Trump.”

With Friday morning’s confirmation that Obama is officially on Team Harris , the Post’s July 24th “reporting” looks even more ridiculous. Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20, but the claims in that article flew in the face of Obama’s well-established habit of not prematurely endorsing to wait until Democratic primary disputes are settled to avoid being divisive — not to mention the risk of his pick not getting the party nomination and his words being used to attack the eventual nominee.

In the immediate aftermath of Biden dropping out, it was not clear if Harris would get the nod or if there might be some sort of convention floor fight or other condensed primary contest. But after every single state Democratic Party chair, key Democratic leaders , and enough delegates to secure the nomination all pledged their support for Harris, then the possibility of a primary fight was off the table.

As multiple media outlets began reporting Thursday that Obama was expected to endorse Harris, a narrative that wildly diverged from the Post’s “reporting” was featured.

On July 25, The New York Times reported that Obama had been “in regular touch” with Harris “since she emerged as the likely Democratic nominee to share his experiences — and is expected to endorse her soon, according to people familiar with the situation,” calling Obama “active behind the scenes, serving as a sounding board to Ms. Harris and checking in with former aides who he thinks can help her cause,” despite his name being “notably absent” from the list of endorsees.

The Times described Obama’s motivations as wanting “to avoid the perception that he was overseeing her coronation, but also to give his friend and former running mate Mr. Biden time to process his wrenching decision to step aside,” and adds that Obama had “told people close to him that he has been impressed with the start of Ms. Harris’s campaign and amused by a spate of stories claiming that he was holding out because he had doubts about Ms. Harris, whom he has known for two decades.”

Since Obama’s endorsement was announced, additional details have come out about the timing of the phone call that made it official. According to the Times , the call “took place on Wednesday while the vice president was in Indianapolis,” and the video of their call shows Harris walking backstage wearing the same outfit at what appears to be the location where she addressed the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. conference in downtown Indianapolis.

A pool report sent out at 2:32 pm ET Wednesday afternoon indicates that Harris “arrived at the [Indianapolis] airpot at 2:27,” then “left her vehicle at 2:29 and took a photo with the advance staff,” “saluted the Air Force greeters and waved goodbye from the top of the steps,” and was “[n]ow headed to Houston.”

Harris had left Indianapolis at about 2:30 pm ET, meaning the call with the Obamas took place before then — most likely a few hours before.

The July 24 Post article was, as flagged above, published at 5:09 pm ET. At the time it was written, it was already wrong.

The Post has not updated or retracted the article, but the paper’s own banner has managed to provide an inadvertent correction to their shoddy “reporting.”

Screenshot via The New York Post.

“BREAKING NEWS,” read the bright yellow banner atop every Post article Friday morning. “Barack and Michelle Obama officially endorse Kamala Harris for president.”

The article linked to that banner, written by Ryan King , made no mention of Vincent and Levine’s July 24th “reporting” and instead noted there had been “at least one publicly known call with Harris on Sunday” with Obama and his “history of keeping his powder dry on endorsements in presidential races.”

King then cited reporting by NBC, writing that Obama’s “hesitance was partly motivated by a desire not to overshadow Biden’s moment, including his primetime address Wednesday about his historic decision to drop out of the race” and “individuals familiar with Obama’s reasoning believed he also delayed his endorsement in a bid to help buoy her momentum.”

Indeed .