Harris on 2024: ’We are Biden our time’
WASHINGTON: Kamala Harris has declined to say if she thinks President Joe Biden will run for re-election in 2024, insisting that they have not discussed the matter.
The Vice-President said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the administration was focusing on its legislative agenda and the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked if she assumed Mr Biden, who will be 82 at the time of the next presidential election, would run again, she said: “I’ll be very honest: I don’t think about it.”
She added: “I will tell you this without any ambiguity: we do not talk about nor have we talked about re-election. We haven’t completed our first year and we’re in the middle of a pandemic.”
The comments will add to a growing sense that the relationship between Mr Biden and Ms Harris, 57, is under strain, and they run counter to what other officials have said.
Last month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it was Mr Biden’s intention to run again, despite his approval ratings remaining stubbornly below 50 per cent.
A YouGov survey last week showed that only 39 per cent of Americans approved of the job Ms Harris is doing, whereas 51 per cent disapproved.
She has struggled to put her stamp on the vice-presidency amid a series of tough assignments, including stopping the vast surge of migrants across the southern border.
Her first year in office has also been marred by the departure of several key members of her staff.
The administration was dealt another blow on the weekend when Joe Manchin, the centrist Democratic senator for West Virginia, confirmed he would not back Mr Biden’s Build Back Better public spending bill because of the $US2 trillion cost and fears that it could lead to increases in the rate of inflation.
The package includes provisions for child support payments, climate change, and “human infrastructure”.
Mr Biden needs the support of all the Democrats’ 50 senators to get the bill passed, so Senator Manchin’s refusal puts its chances of success in serious jeopardy.
“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,” Senator Manchin said in an interview with Fox News.
Fellow Democrats, including the President and VicePresident, have spent weeks trying to secure Senator Manchin’s crucial support.