‘Sidelined’ Kamala fears Biden could choose new heir
As her approval ratings dive amid some embarrassing stumbles, and tensions grow between her team and Biden’s, there’s speculation the President may look to dump his deputy.
Frustrated supporters of Kamala Harris believe the vice-president is being “sidelined” by President Biden amid signs that rivals are preparing to fight her for the Democratic nomination rather than allow a coronation.
As her approval ratings plummet, one ally of Harris called the hand dealt to her by Biden “trash” as she struggles with two big portfolios: stemming migration from Central America and passing voting rights reforms.
The 57-year-old former California senator is the first black woman elected as vice-president but the euphoria felt by Democrats at this landmark has quickly soured as her public performances have underwhelmed.
A poll for USA Today by Suffolk University put her approval rating at 28 per cent last week, lower than Dick Cheney who was previously the least popular vice-president in modern history.
Insiders say tensions have been growing between her team and Biden’s as Harris keeps stumbling, recently failing to join the president’s inner circle for an intense day of phone calls around Democrats in Congress to ensure the passage of his infrastructure bill.
At a university event last month she caused a diplomatic incident when she failed to object to a student who accused Israel of “ethnic genocide”.
As the strains between the two camps have become impossible to ignore, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, put out a seemingly obligatory tweet on Sunday, saying: “For anyone who needs to hear it. [The vice-president] is not only a vital partner to [the president] but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country.”
There is even speculation that Biden could seek to offload Harris, perhaps when the next vacancy arises for a seat on the Supreme Court. He said last year that he would propose a black woman.
CNN reported how Harris supporters have passed around an article in the satirical online magazine The Onion that they feel captures her lack of opportunity to shine. The headline read: “White House urges Kamala Harris to sit at computer all day in case emails come through.”
Harris recently made a trip to France to mend fences with President Macron but her unusual pronunciation of a couple of words led conservative media to barrack her for supposedly mimicking a French accent.
Symone Sanders, her spokeswoman, said: “It is unfortunate that after a productive trip to France … some in the media are focused on gossip.”
Bakari Sellers, a CNN pundit, former South Carolina state representative and Harris ally, said last month that her duties were “trash … a portfolio that’s not meant for [her] to succeed”.
Biden, who will turn 79 on Saturday, maintains that he will run for a second term. Privately almost no one seems to believe him.
This makes it more urgent for Harris to turn around her ratings as she could face a field of challengers in a Democratic primary, either in 2024 or 2028.
One source of tension is the prominence of Pete Buttigieg, the 39-year-old former Indiana mayor who became the transportation secretary after running a strong campaign for the nomination last year.
The Times
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