WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – On Thursday, Obama officially endorsed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee, while rival candidate Bernie Sanders told reporters after meeting with Obama that he would do everything in his power to defeat Trump.
"I don’t think there is a lot of news, but there is a lot of noise," University of Kent History Professor George Conyne told Sputnik on Thursday about Obama’s endorsement of Clinton and Sanders’ comments on defeating Trump. "Right now, I don’t think they change much."
Obama’s endorsement and Sanders comments, Conyne explained, could help unify the Democratic Party but it will still not affect the mindset of the undecided independent voters.
"A lot of those independents are going to remain independent until at least the middle of September," Conyne stated.
The reason the Obama endorsement and Sanders’ comments on Trump have made headlines is because there are so many political journalists that need to justify their existence, he claimed.
By the time election day arrives, Conyne noted, enough of these independents will come to realize that a Trump presidency is unimaginable and Clinton should win out, albeit by a close margin.
Political commentator and author James Bovard told Sputnik that Obama’s endorsement will have far less of an impact on Clinton’s chances than other recent developments.
"The media is whooping up Obama's endorsement of Clinton but her campaign has received far more assistance from Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the apparent decision to not indict her for her email shenanigans," Bovard said.
US Senator Ben Nelson told Sputnik on Thursday that Obama’s endorsement of Clinton is an important step to unifying the Democratic party ahead of the 2016 general election.
In a video released on Thursday, Obama said he plans to begin campaigning for Clinton in the state of Wisconsin next week.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Sanders in Washington, DC on Thursday, but they did not encourage him to end his campaign, according to the White House.
