Obama Curbs Clinton Endorsement as Other 'Friends' Consider Presidency

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama will not immediately endorse Hilary Clinton as a presidential candidate because some of his other friends might join the 2016 presidential race.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama will not immediately endorse Hilary Clinton as a presidential candidate because some of his other friends might join the 2016 presidential race, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Monday.

“As has been speculated by all of you and many others, there are other people who are friends of the President who may at some point decide to get in the race,” Earnest stated in a press briefing.

Earnest noted, however, that Obama will likely endorse a nominee selected by the Democratic voters.

Clinton announced her 2016 presidential run on Sunday, posting the first campaign video on her official YouTube account.

The former Secretary of State is considered the strongest candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, and was also one of the leading Democratic candidates in 2008 when she lost to rival Barack Obama.

Clinton’s announcement generated over 10 million interactions on Facebook, including likes, posts, comments and shares, the media outlet reported, citing social media service data, according to local media reports. By contrast, Republican candidates Rand Paul and Ted Cruz generated about 1.9 million and 5.5 million engagements respectively.

Other Democratic candidates might include US Vice President Joe Biden, former US state of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and former US Senator Jim Webb from Virginia, according to local media reports.