Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be strategically distancing herself from President Joe Biden in the final days of her campaign, with his recent remark calling Donald Trump supporters “garbage” stirring concerns that the outgoing president may harm her electoral chances.
The 81-year-old Biden, who withdrew from the White House race in July, has since joined Harris on the trail, touting his administration’s accomplishments. However, U.S. media reported earlier this week that Harris’s team has been politely declining his offers for joint campaign appearances, a move signaling discomfort over the potential impact of Biden’s unpopularity.
“Biden is quite unpopular and he’s also rusty and off his game,” said Larry Sabato, a political analyst and director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “Harris should obviously avoid many joint appearances with Biden until after the election is over.”
The backlash over Biden’s recent comments draws parallels to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 “deplorables” comment about Trump’s supporters, with Republicans quick to seize on the comparison. Biden, speaking on Tuesday, referred to Trump supporters as “garbage” in response to a Trump rally speaker’s derogatory comment about Puerto Rico.
The timing of Biden’s remark was particularly sensitive, as it risked overshadowing Harris’s White House address on Tuesday, where she pledged unity and a break from divisive politics. While Biden’s aides attempted damage control — claiming a punctuation error misrepresented his words — the Harris campaign sought to refocus the narrative.
“Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris stated to reporters on Wednesday, aiming to distance her campaign from Biden’s statement.
The episode highlights Harris’s careful balancing act as she seeks to establish her own presidential vision, while preserving the legacy of the administration she served for four years. During her White House address, she affirmed that her presidency “will be different, because the challenges we face are different.”
Biden’s involvement in Harris’s campaign has been notably scaled back, limited mainly to union events in battleground states, as Harris leads major rallies with high-profile figures. The president has acknowledged his evolving role, remarking on Monday, “I’ve done a lot of surrogate stuff… but I’ve also had to be president at the same time.”
This shift in the campaign trail marks a challenging chapter for Biden, whose legacy hinges on Harris’s success. According to Frank Sesno, a professor at George Washington University, Harris’s bid is “very much a legacy project” for the president, whose tenure may ultimately be defined by whether Harris can secure a victory. A Trump comeback, however, would cast a long shadow over Biden’s achievements and rekindle debates about his decision to step aside.
