Obama’s endorsement connects Biden to the current moment on multiple fronts, noting that “Joe was there as we rebuilt from the Great Recession and rescued the American auto industry. He was the one asking what every policy would do for the middle class and everyone striving to get into the middle class.” But Biden’s experience isn’t just relevant to the economic challenges of coronavirus: “Joe helped me manage H1N1 and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we’re seeing now.”

Obama frames this election as an answer to more than just the concrete challenges of an economically devastating pandemic—it’s the chance to answer everything we’ve seen from the White House for the last three years.

“Right now, we need Americans of good will to unite in a great awakening against a politics that too often has been characterized by corruption, carelessness, self-dealing, disinformation, ignorance, and just plain meanness,” he says. “And to change that, we need Americans of all political stripes to get involved in our politics and public life like never before.”

“For those of us who believe in building a more just, more generous, more democratic America where everybody has a fair shot at opportunity. For those of us who believe in a government that cares about the many, and not just the few. For those of us who love this country and are willing to do our part to make sure it lives up to its highest ideals—now’s the time to fight for what we believe in.”

There’s no such thing as in-person campaigning right now, but Obama’s video is a powerful reminder of what an asset he’ll be to Biden if and when campaign rallies become a thing again.