According to a recent Reuters report, President Joe Biden is reportedly unhappy with Vice President Kamala Harris for not “meeting the occasion” as his second-in-command. Senior officials in the Biden administration disclosed the president’s candid views of Harris in the report. One former official said:
“If he didn’t think she was capable, he would not have selected her, but it’s a matter of consistently rising to the occasion.”
The same former official emphasized the need for Harris to consistently perform her duties, saying:
“…But it is a question of consistently rising to the occasion.”
Another former White House official stated that there was a “point of tension” between Biden and Harris, adding that the president doesn’t see her as someone who takes responsibility off his plate. The official also noted that Harris’ fear of making a mistake had delayed her participation in crucial political battles, including the ongoing border crisis.
Biden appointed Harris to take charge of border issues in 2021, but she has failed to visit the border, only doing so after heavy criticism from the press and interest groups. In January, the National Border Patrol Council criticized Harris for failing to do her job and protect the border. A current administration official admitted Harris’ weakness on border issues to Reuters, saying that she doesn’t see this as a political victory because it’s a difficult issue:
“She, I think, is smart. She does not see this as a political win for her. Because it’s not. It’s a really hard issue.”
Harris has had previous conflicts with heavyweight Democratic Party figures. CNN reported that Harris stopped receiving phone calls from Senator Elizabeth Warren for a period after the senator declined to endorse Harris for re-election in 2024. Warren attempted to call Harris twice to apologize for her remarks, but the vice president did not respond. However, Warren later corrected the record, saying that she fully supported the president and vice president’s re-election together and never meant to imply otherwise.
