President Joe Biden’s attempts to campaign for Kamala Harris in the lead up to Election Day have apparently left her team concerned. Sources told Axios that the Harris campaign sees Biden as a potential political liability, but the team .
In what one source described as a “slow-moving break-up,” the Harris' team is hesitant to outright reject the President’s efforts to rally voters, but is reluctant to enmesh their candidate in Biden’s legacy given his unpopularity. (His current approval rating hangs around 39 percent.)
The campaign is also seeking to define a potential Harris presidency as something new, rather than a continuation of Biden’s administration—even considering Harris’ role therein as his vice president.
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“He’s a reminder of the last four years, not the new way forward,” a person familiar with the situation told Axios.
The President spoke in Pennsylvania on Saturday urging voters in the swing state to support Harris, with a fiery speech that also slammed Donald Trump’s character.
Any mention of Biden’s appearance, however, was absent from the Harris team’s “Day Ahead” email that detailed planned events with surrogates like Pete Buttigieg, actress Kerry Washington and more.
The alleged snub is coupled by allegations that Biden’s team had opened up days in his calendar for campaign appearances, only for the Harris team to let them pass. A White House official disputed this claim.
“There is always speculation in political circles, but this is not accurate,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios in a statement. “We are in close touch with the campaign to determine when, where and how the president can be helpful.”
Still, there are currently no scheduled campaign events for Biden and Harris together in the remaining days ahead of November 5.
