Joe Biden delayed dropping out of the presidential race because he was concerned about Kamala Harris’s capability of defeating Donald Trump.
According to Axios, Biden and his advisors were reluctant to drop out of the race because they didn’t believe she was “up to” the job of winning the presidency.
The report states:
President Biden hesitated to drop his re-election campaign in part because he and his senior advisers worried that Vice President Kamala Harris wasn’t up to taking on Donald Trump, according to three Biden aides familiar with recent talks about his plans.
Biden, 81, ultimately decided to withdraw under pressure from the partyand endorsed Harris, but his private anxieties reflect broader questions among some Democratic leaders about Harris as their nominee this November.
This next week will be critical for Harris, 59, to prove doubters wrong as she moves quickly to try to clear the field of potential challengers for the Democratic nomination.
Meanwhile, those who spoke with the outlet also described the relationship between Biden and Kamala as tense:
The relationship between the vice president’s office and the West Wing has often been tense. White House aides sometimes felt Harris wasn’t a team player and stayed away from any task with risk.
But some Harris aides felt that the White House, particularly top aide Anita Dunn, wasn’t helpful to the vice president. At times, Harris aides suspected Biden’s team didn’t want to give Harris opportunities to shine to avoid her being seen as a viable alternative to Biden ahead of his re-election bid.
Despite these concerns, Joe gave a full-throated endorsement of Harris’s candidacy, claiming that making her his vice-president was the “best decision I ever made.”
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Harris, meanwhile, has pledged to “unite” the Democrat Party around her as well as “earn and win” the nomination.
I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now.https://t.co/xpPDkCRhoZ
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 21, 2024
