--- description: He's going to wait for voters to decide, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday title: President Obama Likes Hillary, But Won't Yet Endorse image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c559b576f5d7d16/6987eac52dce018cea9e1458/hillary-clinton-presidential-election.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Obama Likes Hillary Clinton, But Won't Yet Endorse by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 13, 2015 6:29 PM CUT  Video still of Hillary Rodham Clinton announcing that she will seek the presidency for a second time, immediately establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee on April 12, 2015. Video still of Hillary Rodham Clinton announcing that she will seek the presidency for a second time, immediately establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee on April 12, 2015.AP by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 13, 2015 6:29 PM CUT To be clear: President Obama likes Hillary Clinton and thinks she would be an “excellent President,” but he’s not endorsing her yet. Although Obama personally praised his former Secretary of State during a press conference Saturday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday that he’s not offering a full-blown endorsement of her nascent presidential campaign just yet. “The two of them have become friends, but there are other people who are friends of the president who may decide to enter the race,” Earnest said. An endorsement, he said, would likely come from the president after Democratic voters pick a nominee. Earnest said he wasn’t aware of whether or not the President received a “specific heads up” about Clinton’s announcement, which came via a video released Sunday afternoon. The two met face-to-face a couple weeks back, but Earnest did not say if they spoke about her campaign rollout at the time. The President and the lone-Democratic candidate in the race to 2016 also have a similar week ahead. Both will spend the week touting the importance of strengthening economic opportunity for the middle class and for women and fixes to the tax code. Obama will make his case from Washington and at an event in North Carolina. Clinton, however, has hit the road to Iowa where she’s set to make local stops this week. Reporters hinted at the coincidence at Monday’s press briefing, but Earnest insists it shouldn’t be surprising. “This is an indication that the priorities that the president has championed are consistent with the values that most Democrats share,” Earnest said. _Read next:_ [_Meet the People From Hillary Clinton’s Launch Video_](http://time.com/3819137/hillary-clinton-2016-video/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ### See an Intimate Portrait of Hillary Clinton  With an ice cream cone in hand, Hillary waves to the crowd in Weedsport, New York, as she heads to the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York, one of the stops on her Save America's Treasures tour, July 14, 1998. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Getting ready for President Clinton's second inaugural, Hillary gets her first glimpse of daughter Chelsea's short skirt. Jan. 20, 1997 Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  The President and the First Lady Share a private moment, one of their last in the Oval Office. Jan. 11, 2001. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary checks her messages upon departure from Malta for the as-yet-undisclosed location, Tripoli, Oct. 18, 2011\. This photo was turned into a meme that circulated around the world. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Before an appearance with David Letterman, Hillary checks her BlackBerry while Diana Walker takes their picture. Feb. 4, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary gathers her thoughts moments before her introduction at Nueva Esperanza Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia. Apr. 18, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary walks up the steps of the US Capitol to meet with Senate leaders. May 16, 2006. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME  Hillary enters a Super Bowl party at a bar and grill in St. Paul Minnesota, where she watches the New York Giants win the game, Feb. 3, 2008. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3819778/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-endorse/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3819778/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-endorse/"},"headline":"President Obama Likes Hillary Clinton, But Won't Yet Endorse","datePublished":"2015-04-13T18:29:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:35.164Z","description":"He's waiting","url":"https://time.com/3819778/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-endorse/","keywords":["Hillary Clinton","2016 Election topic","Barack Obama","White House"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c559b576f5d7d16/6987eac52dce018cea9e1458/hillary-clinton-presidential-election.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c559b576f5d7d16/6987eac52dce018cea9e1458/hillary-clinton-presidential-election.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Hillary Clinton Announces 2016 Presidential Bid - Washington","caption":"Hillary Clinton Announces 2016 Presidential Bid - Washington","creditText":"AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3819778/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-endorse/","name":"President Obama Likes Hillary Clinton, But Won't Yet Endorse"}}]}] ```