Harris and Biden to Campaign Together for the First Time Since the Switch-up

International news section 09-08-2024

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are scheduled to make their first joint campaign appearance next week since the surprising announcement that the U.S. president will withdraw from the 2024 Presidential Elections against Donald Trump.

In an effort to solidify his legacy during his remaining months in office and to support the new Democratic ticket, Biden will join his vice president at an event in Maryland, near Washington, on August 15. According to a statement by the White House on Friday, the two leaders will “discuss the progress they are making to reduce costs for the American people,” with additional details to be provided later. Harris, the first female vice president of Black and South Asian descent in U.S. history, has been actively holding large rallies, setting fundraising records, and erasing the polling lead previously held by former Republican president Trump.

In contrast Biden has kept a low profile with few public events, in what has become a lame duck presidency with nearly six months still until his successor takes power in January.

The president, who is currently spending a long weekend at his Delaware beach house, had not been expected to make any major political appearances in support of Harris until the Democratic National Convention starting on August 19 in Chicago.

But there have also been signs that the veteran Democrat is keen to promote his legacy as he prepares to bow out from a nearly five-decade career in US politics.

Limited schedule

Part of that is doing whatever he can to help secure Harris’s victory against Trump, his nemesis and the man that he beat in the 2020 election.

Harris was prominently by Biden’s side during a historic moment last week when they both welcomed back U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich and other detainees freed in a significant prisoner swap with Russia. According to Politico, Harris is now seeking Biden’s backing in key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, where he continues to hold strong popularity, particularly among older white voters.

But he would ensure that the spotlight stayed on Harris, embarking mainly on a limited campaign schedule in the fall, it said.

Biden meanwhile stepped into the breach earlier this week to warn against any repeat of the events after the 2020 election, when Trump disputed his loss and his supporters stormed the US capitol.

In his first interview since dropping out of the election, Biden told broadcaster CBS that he was “not confident at all” of a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses a second time.

One other priority for Biden’s remaining days in office is to push for a ceasefire to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza — an issue that is still divisive for Democrats.

Biden, alongside the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, has called on the warring parties to resume negotiations on August 15, the same day as his joint appearance with Harris, in an effort to advance a potential agreement.