Vice President Kamala Harris changed her schedule for the week so she could have lunch with President Joe Biden and be near him for this week’s Fourth of July festivities.
The move comes as talk of Biden being ousted as the Democratic presidential nominee continues in the aftermath of his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.
Harris and Biden will have lunch together at the White House on Wednesday, as they usually do.
She and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will then join President Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House on Thursday evening for a Fourth of July celebration for military and veteran families, caregivers and survivors.
Vice President Kamala Harris has changed her schedule to reach out to President Biden
Harris and Emhoff are currently in California, where they are fundraising for Biden’s re-election campaign. The pair watched his debate performance from the West Coast.
They will return to Washington DC on Tuesday night.
After the debate, amid calls for Biden to drop out of the race, Harris came to his defense, saying that while it was not the president’s “finest moment,” he was still the best bet to defeat Trump in November.
“There are three things that were true yesterday before the debate and that remain true today. Let’s be clear about that. First, the stakes in this race could not be higher. Second, the contrast in this election could not be starker. And third, we believe in our President Joe Biden and we believe in what he stands for,” he said at a campaign event in Las Vegas on Friday.
“This race will not be decided on a June night,” he added.
The Biden campaign has made it clear that it is not going anywhere and intends to remain the Democratic nominee.
But the president still has to deal with a demoralized staff and donors who threaten to disrupt his campaign.
President Joe Biden intends to stay in the race, his campaign has said
President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff attend a campaign rally for reproductive freedom in Virginia in January.
Harris is seen as the person who stands to gain the most from Biden’s debate performance. If he steps down as the Democratic presidential candidate, she could be considered his likely successor and, while not guaranteed the nomination, would be the front-runner.
He would also have a huge financial advantage over other potential contenders like Govs. Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer: The millions of dollars Biden has raised for his reelection campaign can legally go to only one person: his running mate, Kamala Harris.
Her name appears alongside Biden’s on all campaign documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.
But Harris, 59, is also polling worse than Biden. Early in the campaign cycle, some Democrats feared she would be a liability to the ticket. There was speculation she should be replaced.
However, her supporters point out that she connects well with voters with whom Biden does not have a natural affinity, such as minorities and younger voters.
