The quote in question was published by a credible news organization, but was said to have come from an anonymous source (only identified as a “Democrat'), who claimed to have heard Obama make the remark.
, where Biden came in fourth place. The article cited an anonymous source for the remark:
Knowing Obama wouldn’t endorse before a clear winner emerged in the crowded Democratic primary, Biden began the campaign saying he privately told Obama he didn’t want him to endorse anyway. Those who have spoken to Obama about Biden have issued conflicting accounts about whether Obama wanted him to run, with some saying the former president approved — especially because Biden is running on a platform of unabashedly furthering his legacy — to those who said Obama wasn’t enthusiastic.
One Democrat who is neutral in the 2020 race and spoke to Obama about Biden’s gaffe-prone nature recalled the former president saying: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.” Despite the nature of the quote, it didn’t appear to be widely reported or even tweeted by any of the accounts mentioned above until just before the 2020 Democratic National Convention. That all changed after Politico published anotherYet searing, anonymously sourced quotes from Obama kept appearing through the race. One Democrat who spoke to Obama recalled the former president warning, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.
The quote in question was published by a credible news organization, but was said to have come from an anonymous source, only identified as a “Democrat,” who claimed to have heard Obama make the remark. With no way for us to confirm the veracity of the quote, we have rated this claim as “Unproven.”