“She was a formidable candidate in 2008, she was a great supporter of mine in the general election, she was an outstanding secretary of state, she is my friend,” Obama said. “I think she would be an excellent president.”

Clinton lost the Democratic nomination to Obama in 2008. Obama made the comments on Saturday after a summit in Panama.

“The one thing I can say is, she’s going to be able to handle herself very well in any conversation or debates around foreign policy,” Obama said. “And her track record with respect to domestic policies is I think one that cares about working families.”

“If she decides to run and she makes an announcement, she’s going to have some strong messages to deliver,” Obama said.