Former U.S. President Barack Obama has endorsed his vice president, Joe Biden, for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Obama becomes the latest high-profile Democrat to endorse Biden after fellow contestants Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg.

"Choosing Joe to by my Vice President was one of the best decisions I ever made. He's got the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. And he'll surround himself with good people – experts, scientists, and military officials who actually know how to run the government, work with our allies, and always put the American people's interests above their own," Obama said in his address on Tuesday.

Obama's address marked his first public statement on the Democratic bid, having previously been seen as staying neutral.