The White House isn’t quite ready to call Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee just yet, with several states holding primary votes Tuesday.
Although one tally of delegates and super delegates Monday night showed Mrs. Clinton with enough support to claim the nomination, White House press secretary said President Obama is not issuing his expected endorsement of her immediately.
“At this point there is at least one super delegate, the one who works in the Oval Office, who’s not prepared” to endorse in the race, Mr. Earnest said.
He also said that he president has no plans to meet with Mrs. Clinton while he’s fundraising for Democrats in New York City Wednesday and taping a segment for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Other White House sources have said the president’s endorsement is imminent.
Despite the long and heated battle between Mrs. Clinton and Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, Mr. Earnest said Democrats are already more united than Republicans. He said both candidates have agreed on expanding access to health care, reforming the immigration system, fighting climate change, implementing the Iranian nuclear deal, raising the minimum wage, boosting federal spending on education and job training, and enacting equal pay legislation.
Meanwhile, he said, Republicans are embroiled in a new controversy about whether the presumptive presidential nominee is a racist.
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“I’m not sure if that’s the way they drew it up,” he said of the GOP’s plans for the fall campaign.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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