Benoit Tessier / Reuters
Barack Obama has held secret meetings with at least nine potential Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential elections to offer them guidance and support, Politico reports. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Deval Patrick have all reportedly had secret one-on-one meetings with the former president in his personal office in Washington D.C.’s west end. “The president was generous with his time and advice, and he was excited to talk about the future,” said one person familiar who was with one of the meetings. Some lesser known potential candidates have also met with the former president, including Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor; Jason Kander, the 2016 Missouri Senate candidate; Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana; Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles. According to the report, Obama gives “advice, guidance, talks about the future of the party, and everyone’s places in it.”