President Joe Biden acknowledged Tuesday that Kamala Harris does not intend to act as a carbon copy of his administration, highlighting a key challenge facing the vice president as he enters the final spurt of the campaign: his own record. There was a tacit nod to the important issue of how to distinguish between
Biden, speaking during an unusual campaign hiatus for an incumbent, said just because Harris has been loyal to him in the past doesn’t mean she won’t continue to chart her own path.
“Every president has to carve his own path. That’s what I did. I was loyal to Barack Obama, but as president I carved my own path. That’s what Mr. Kamala will do. That’s what we’re doing,” Biden said Tuesday at the Democratic Party Dinner at a union banquet hall in Philadelphia. “She’s been loyal so far, but now she’s going to make her own way.”
He added: “Donald Trump’s views are old, failed, and frankly, thoroughly dishonest.”
The comments highlight some of the balancing act that Biden and Harris are each trying to strike as they face pressure to differentiate themselves from the current president.
Since announcing in September that he would be on the road after Labor Day, Biden’s campaign schedule this fall has been noticeably lighter. The situation is complicated, in part, because of a series of urgent domestic and international crises that require Biden’s attention. During the campaign, he felt his presence could remind voters of the page Harris was trying to turn.
Tuesday’s event, a ticketed dinner to raise money for the Philadelphia Democratic Party, was one of the president’s few political appearances since Harris secured the Democratic nomination.
“I’m one of the few people in American history to have served as vice president and president,” Biden said, standing in front of a sign with Kamala’s name on it.
“And I know both jobs, I know what it takes, and all I can say is that Kamala Harris has been a great vice president. She’s going to be a great president, too,” he said.
With less than three weeks until the election, the campaign and the White House have yet to provide details on what Biden’s campaign schedule will look like through Nov. 5. One development under consideration is a tour of Pennsylvania, according to a person close to the campaign. With Governor Josh Shapiro. Biden himself foreshadowed these changes in an interview several weeks ago.
Read more about Biden’s role in Harris’ campaign ahead of Election Day.
