President Joe Biden is disappointed at how quickly his influence is declining as Vice President Kamala Harris tries to outrun him, according to an NBC News report.
Biden has noted that Harris does not refer to him very often in her campaign speeches, the report notes, citing six people familiar with her comments.
He was also saddened when Harris specifically distanced herself from him, insisting in the presidential debate that she was “clearly” not Joe Biden and offering a “new generation of leadership.”
A Harris campaign official tried to ward off rumors of an upset Biden by pointing out that the president has repeatedly told Harris to do whatever it takes to win.
Harris and Biden also had lunch together on Thursday for the first time in a long time, an official confirmed, as the two went to the White House to meet with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky.
US President Joe Biden is increasingly disappointed as his influence wanes, a new report claims.
However, Harris met separately with Zelensky at the White House and delivered separate remarks from the president.
The White House dismissed the report as “uninformed claims” that were “the polar opposite of the truth.”
Meanwhile, sources tell NBC News, Biden appears saddened by his disappearing profile on the national stage and “left behind.”
Harris moves on, referring to the president less on the campaign trail.
“She has to become her own person,” a Harris campaign official told NBC News. “She needs to do that to win.”
US President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks from the Oval Office.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris campaigns without Joe Biden in Nevada
Biden’s appearance on ABC’s ‘The View’ last week with the adorable hosts seemed like a kind of therapy for the president as they praised his political legacy.
But he also remained adamant that he could have beaten former President Donald Trump, even though Democratic Party leaders booted him from the race.
“I never quite believed the claims that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance to run again,” Biden saying during the interview. “The fact of the matter is, my polls were always close to beating this guy.”
The growing unease between the two candidates was only emphasized in a Saturday Night Live sketch where Harris’ character pushed a floundering Biden character aside before he could finish speaking.
If Harris wins in November, Biden’s legacy will be vindicated for choosing Harris as his vice president in the first place and stepping aside at the right time. But if Trump emerges victorious, Biden will likely harbor a grudge against Democratic Party leaders for the rest of his life.