[National Review] President Obama has met privately with nine Democratic presidential hopefuls in recent months to discuss the state of the party and what strategies they should pursue to best counter president Trump in 2020, Politico reported Monday.The meetings were arranged secretly, without the knowledge of close advisers, according to Politico. Thus far Obama has counseled former vice president Joe Biden, Democratic senators Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, and others, though he remains reluctant to publicly endorse any one candidate.
Sanders reportedly requested his meeting with Obama, which was held in March, because he wanted to discuss their respective visions for the future of the party and how it might best balance idealism and pragmatism.
Obama initiated his first meeting with Warren because he wanted to discuss her criticism of the $400,000 speaking fee he received from a Wall Street investment firm after leaving office. The Massachusetts lawmaker, who has made a career of lambasting large financial institutions, had called the payment "troubling" and said it exemplified the influence-peddling "that slithers through Washington."