Joe Biden has been quick to remind people of the close friendship he shares with former President Barack Obama, but the former vice president says he isn’t relying on that relationship as a “crutch” to get him into the Oval Office. “It’s not a crutch,” Biden said in Detroit on Wednesday during an NAACP-sponsored event. “You can ask President Obama. I don’t need any crutch.” Biden has been an early frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic nomination since entering into a crowded field of candidates in April. His popularity is thought to stem largely from the legacy of Obama, which has helped bolster Biden with support from black voters, The Associated Press reports. Biden says his bid for the presidency is not a “continuation of Barack and our administration,” adding that there are new problems he would have to face. “But the fact of the matter is he’s a close friend,” Biden said. “I’m proud to have served with him.” The former vice president previously said he asked Obama not to endorse him in his 2020 bid, remarking: “Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits.”