One would think that having a sitting president at his side would be seen as a pretty considerable advantage in the final hours of his own campaign for the White House.
Not so for Kamala Harris.
On Sunday, as the Democratic nominee made her final push for the election, Harris assembled a star-studded group of big political names and sent them to the tightest swing states:
Barack Obama attended a rally in Wisconsin. Bill Clinton was on the trail in North Carolina. Even current First Lady Jill Biden endorsed Harris and greeted voters in Pennsylvania.
But Joe Biden was nowhere to be seen.
One would think that having a sitting president at his side would be seen as a pretty considerable advantage in the final hours of his own campaign for the White House. Not so for Kamala Harris.
He was holed up in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware (a comfortably blue state), enjoying a long lunch at his golf club with an old friend.
Days earlier, Biden had embarrassed Harris with yet another gaffe, reportedly referring to Donald Trump’s supporters as “trash.” Publicly, the White House insisted that it had not actually said what everyone had heard.
But behind closed doors, the Harris campaign’s message to Joe was clear: Stay away.
Certainly, Biden’s life has changed dramatically in the last three months. After starting the year insisting he was fit enough to run again and beat Trump, Biden finally dropped out of the race on July 21, endorsing Harris as his replacement that same day.
Within hours, Biden, 81, had become what he (and his ambitious wife) had always feared: an outgoing president.
After four years at the center of the political universe, Biden was suddenly out of the spotlight as the world turned its attention to a younger, more enthusiastic candidate.
This rapid descent to the political periphery appears to have been actively encouraged – perhaps brutally – by the Harris team.
Last month, according to a report from Axios, Harris’ campaign has been rejecting the president’s repeated offers to help her along the way.
Team Harris’ response every time: We’ll get back to you.
Privately, Jill Biden has called the situation “tough” for her husband.
Last week, Biden had embarrassed Harris with yet another gaffe, apparently referring to Donald Trump’s supporters as “trash.” Behind closed doors, the Harris campaign’s message to Joe was clear: stay away.
At a White House reception in late August, the president joked that he needed a new job, before appearing to cry a little during his speech.
Elsewhere, he has been seen wandering around stiffly, with some noting that he appears “lost.”
Insiders tell the Mail that the president has been “watching more TV”, and his seven grandchildren have given him recommendations on what to stream on Netflix.
Even his most sympathetic allies would say it’s fair to characterize him as a bit of a loner.
In early October, Jill left her husband to campaign in five key states for Harris. Leaving the White House, the president stood alone outside the Oval Office, waving goodbye as her motorcade drove away.
For her part, the First Lady stays busy. He still teaches English two days a week at Northern Virginia Community College. But when she goes out to campaign for Harris, it’s notable that she barely mentions her husband.
Harris has been at pains to emphasize that her presidency would not be “a continuation of Joe Biden’s.”
Biden’s record on the immigration crisis, inflation and foreign wars is something Harris has clumsily tried to distance herself from, despite also insisting that she has been an active vice president.
Of course, Biden still has his daily briefing books to keep him busy, but his advisers say his attention has now shifted to the future, including deciding the location of his presidential library and restarting the Biden Foundation, his charitable endeavor.
He has mentioned Syracuse University (New York), the University of Delaware and Washington DC as three possible locations for a Biden Presidential Center.
He has ties to all of them. (He earned his law degree from Syracuse, his bachelor’s degree from Delaware, and spent his professional life in DC)
There is more competition. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti has said she will submit a bid to house Biden’s library.
In early October, Jill left her husband to campaign in five key states for Harris. Leaving the White House, the president stood alone outside the Oval Office, waving goodbye as her motorcade drove away.
The University of Pennsylvania, where Biden once taught, is also likely to make an offer.
As interest in the president wanes at home, he has focused on a international farewell tour.
Last month in Germany, he received the ‘Order of Merit’, one of the country’s highest honors.
In December he will make a trip to sub-Saharan Africa. He will also attend his final G20 meeting in Brazil later this month. And he has expressed interest in a trilateral summit with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
Biden finds himself in an unusual position. Most of the outgoing ducks have finished their term and know they don’t have another four years left, so they use their second term to shape their legacy.
Others have spent the months leading up to their departure fighting to win re-election before ultimately losing.
Until this summer, Biden had planned for another four years, until that disastrous television debate with Donald Trump.
“I doubt Biden would have really planned what would end up being his last 100 days or his last months,” Professor David Redlawsk, a political scientist at the University of Delaware, told the Mail.
As such, Biden’s official agenda has been noticeably empty. For 43 of the 75 days since he dropped out of the race, he has had no public events scheduled. He also did not hold a single press conference during his trip to Germany last month.
Such is the interest in Biden’s apparent lack of activity that his White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, keeps a special file to help her answer any media questions about her out-of-action boss.
Meanwhile, many of his White House staffers have already moved on to new jobs, some on Capitol Hill and others in the private sector.
Biden’s chief of staff, Jeffrey Zients, also appears to have more time on his hands, as reporters spotted him in DC personally buying lunches for his team and heading out the door of the White House to enjoy time outdoors, something that It would have been unthinkable. Just six months ago.
Zients has been tasked with starting the transition process, meeting with the Harris and Trump campaigns to make logistical arrangements for whoever wins.
The Bidens will pack up their personal belongings in the coming weeks, and staff will need to ensure all records are turned over to the National Archives.
Biden also has to complete post-employment paperwork, like any other American who leaves a job.
Biden’s chief of staff, Jeffrey Zients (R), also appears to have more time on his hands, and reporters spotted him in DC personally buying lunches for his team and heading out the door of the White House to enjoy time outdoors.
As former president, he receives lifelong healthcare and an allowance to set up an office. He will also be eligible for two different federal pension programs due to his long tenure in the Senate and his tenure as president. Combined, these could pay him $413,000 a year.
Jill Biden is said to be particularly focused on cementing a legacy for her husband.
Last month, he unveiled an updated public tour of the White House, complete with new rooms for the public to view and interactive videos, in which the president and First Lady address visitors.
The Bidens are pushing their ‘Moonshot’ initiative, which aims to dramatically reduce cancer deaths. It’s an issue close to their hearts: Biden’s son Beau died from the disease in 2015, at the age of 46.
And then there will be a list of “lasts” at the White House: a final round of Christmas parties, a farewell state dinner, one more Thanksgiving turkey to forgive.
In recent months, celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has been seen with the Bidens, both at Camp David the July weekend when Joe dropped out of the race, and in Florida, taking photos of Biden as he surveyed the damage. by Hurricane Helene last month. It is not yet clear what project these photographs are reserved for.
Speaking to ABC’s Good Morning America news program last month, Jill Biden addressed the difficulties of recent months.
“It will be difficult to maybe walk away (from the White House),” he said. ‘We are beginning a new chapter of our lives, a new journey. We have been in politics for 50 years. I think we are ready for the new journey.”
