US President Barack Obama has endorsed Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party presidential nominee.
After months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries and a meeting with Ms Clinton's closest rival Bernie Sanders, Mr Obama congratulated her on "making history."
He said: "Tens of millions of Americans made their voices heard. Today I just want to add mine. I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office."
Ms Clinton welcomed the vote of confidence: "Honored to have you with me, @POTUS I'm fired up and ready to go!" she tweeted, echoing one of Obama's own campaign rallying cries from 2008.
Honored to have you with me, @POTUS. I'm fired up and ready to go! -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 9, 2016
Earlier, Mr Sanders vowed to continue his presidential campaign into next week, but said he would meet Ms Clinton soon to foster party unity.
After an hour-long meeting with President Obama at the White House, Mr Sanders did not drop out of the race or endorse Ms Clinton, but said he would meet the former secretary of state "to see how we can work together".
The endorsement increases pressure on Mr Sanders, a Senator from Vermont, to bow out of the race and lend his support to Ms Clinton so that the party can focus on defeating Donald Trump, the Republican candidate.
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Clinton ally Warren weighs potential VP role, sees hurdles
US Senator Elizabeth Warren has considered the idea of serving as Hillary Clinton's running mate but sees obstacles to that choice as she prepares to endorse the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, several people familiar with Ms Warren's thinking told Reuters.
While her position may change, Ms Warren has concerns about joining a Clinton ticket, including the question of whether running two women would give the Democrats the best shot at defeating Republican Donald Trump, one source said.
Advisers to Ms Warren, a strong critic of Wall Street and a popular figure among progressive Democrats, have been in close contact with Ms Clinton's campaign team and the conversations have increased in frequency in recent weeks, the sources said.
Ms Warren has signalled to people close to her that she is intrigued by the possibility of being Ms Clinton's number two but has not discussed the role with Ms Clinton, 68, or anyone else from her campaign, the people said.
Ms Warren, 66, has been one of the Democrats' most outspoken critics of Mr Trump, 69, and her priority is helping to defeat the presumptive Republican nominee in the 8 November presidential election, the sources said.
Ms Warren is also committed to advancing her own political agenda, which they described as "more progressive" than Ms Clinton's more centrist positions.
Ms Warren fears that as vice president, or in a cabinet position, her voice could be less heard than it is in the US Senate on her priority issues such as addressing income inequality, the sources said.
In the past, Ms Warren has accused Ms Clinton of abandoning her support for stronger bankruptcy legislation to try to appease Wall Street.
An endorsement of Clinton could come within a week or two, one of the sources said.
