Kamala Harris praised Joe Biden on Thursday in their first public appearance together since he stepped down as the Democratic presidential nominee.
And she returned the favor by showing a sign that she missed the campaign trail and giving Donald Trump a nickname.
But many of those present were not there to hear him: Dozens of people headed toward the exits as Biden spoke.
Pro-Palestinian protesters also began chanting about genocide as the president spoke in a room off the stage.
The crowd, which included many of Harris’ sorority sisters, was clearly excited to see her. After she spoke, introduced Biden and gave him a hug, the crowd began to disperse.
Harris herself even left the stage for Biden’s speech, but returned at the end for the traditional photo op of the two holding hands, arms raised in victory.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris embrace at an event in Maryland, their first public event since Biden dropped out of the presidential race
The event was billed as an official White House event, but it felt like a campaign rally, with Biden and several of the other speakers referring to Harris as the next president. There was even criticism of Republican candidate Donald Trump.
“The guy we’re running against, what’s his name? Donald Dump? Donald… whatever,” Biden said as the crowd roared.
He said Harris will be “a great president.”
Harris, in her remarks, focused on the man she replaced on the Democratic ticket.
“I could talk all afternoon about the person standing next to me on this stage,” he said as the crowd roared. “Our extraordinary Joe Biden.”
The crowd roared and shouted, “Go Joe” and “Thanks Joe.”
“There’s a lot of love in this room for our president,” he said.
And as he handed over the microphone, he redoubled his efforts, saying it was “a great, great, great honor for me to serve with this extraordinary human being.”
Biden was equally complimentary.
“I have an incredible partner in the progress we’ve made and she will be an excellent president,” he said.
The love fest was well received by the crowd, which was held in the Democratic state of Maryland. The popular governor of the state, Wes Moore, introduced the duo, which contributed to the friendly atmosphere of the event.
The room roared as Biden and Harris embraced. And the applause continued as they took the stage at the end of their speeches.
The White House estimates that about 2,300 people were present.
Many in attendance were not there to hear Biden speak, as dozens of people headed for the exits during his speech.
A protester is ejected from the Biden-Harris event in Maryland. Pro-Palestinian protesters also silenced the president during his speech to an overflowing hall
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris joined forces on stage in Maryland
Biden was in good spirits at his first campaign appearance since dropping out of the presidential race.
He repeated one of his favorite stories – how he looks 40 but isn’t – and joked about his long public service.
“I’ve served in the Senate for 270 years,” he said as the crowd laughed. “For a long time, I was too young, because I was only about 29 when I was elected. Now I’m too old.”
Biden has passed the baton to his running mate. Harris has caught up with her Republican rival Donald Trump in the polls, even surpassing him in some key states.
He has drawn massive crowds at his campaign events.
Before the event began, hundreds of people waited outside the venue in a line that snaked around the building. Inside, the small venue was nearly at capacity. A waiting room quickly filled up. Drink machines ran out of beverages. And all this happened an hour before Biden and Harris spoke.
Blue and yellow signs reading “Reduce Prescription Drug Costs” hung on the walls and attendees waved similar signs.
The duo were at Prince George’s Community College to discuss cutting costs, including those of prescription drugs.
Ahead of the event, federal officials announced an agreement with pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of 10 of Medicare’s most popular and expensive drugs.
Republicans blame Harris for the high inflation rate, which occurred during Biden’s tenure. Voters gave Biden poor marks for his handling of the economy and the Trump campaign is trying to transfer those feelings to Harris.
The government has celebrated that inflation has recently fallen below 3%. But corporate price gouging has not been the main driver of inflation in the United States, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
The Biden administration has blamed corporate greed and the high cost of prescription drugs for inflation.
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, allows Medicare to negotiate prices for some of the most expensive drugs the program covers for 66 million people.
Harris, in her role as Senate president, cast the tie-breaking vote on the legislation.
And although it was announced as an official event, it had the overtones of a campaign rally.
Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin said of Harris and the Inflation Reduction Act: “She passed it because she’s president of the Senate. President is a good title for her.”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris entered to loud applause.
Popular Democratic Maryland Governor Wes Moore introduced Biden and Harris
Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who spoke before Biden and Harris, received standing ovations and applause.
He noted that Biden and Harris will be leaving shortly and called them ’46 and 47′: Biden is the 46th president and Harris would be the 47th if she wins in November.
“In a few minutes, you will hear not only from the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, but from the 47th president,” he said.
The crowd roared in response, “48, 48, 48,” indicating that they would like Moore to be next.
White House officials said Wednesday night that they expect U.S. taxpayers to save $6 billion under the new prices, while older Americans could save about $1.5 billion on their medications.
The new prices will come into effect on January 1, 2026.
Harris to double down on price cuts in presidential campaign
At a rally in North Carolina on Friday, he will unveil a proposal to ban “price gouging” in the food and grocery industries, his campaign said.