Vice President Kamala Harris is going to face scrutiny over her long defense of President Joe Biden’s failing health as his prospects to remain the Democrats’ presidential nominee are far from certain after his horrendous debate performance.
Axios national political correspondent Alex Thompson told CNN that Harris’ biggest hurdle is having to defend her past comments about Biden’s fitness to be president, even as public appearances over the years have shown how his mental capacity has diminished.
“She has been one of the main public validators of [Biden’s] health. You remember after the Hur report, she went out there and said he is with it, he is commanding everything in the room. She is going to have to sit down and answer tough questions. … Kamala Harris … she hasn’t really been out there answering questions,” Thompson said.
‘Of course, if necessary, but there’s no need for that.’
While it would be difficult for any other national Democrat to jump into the race at this stage in the election should Biden bow out, if Harris’ role in covering up Biden’s health becomes too much of a liability, Thompson noted there are Democrats who are ready to pounce on it.
Harris said in February that the Hur report’s assertion that Biden had a poor memory on significant subjects and would be viewed by a jury as a sympathetic old man was “gratuitous, inaccurate, and inappropriate.” She added that the comments in the report were “politically motivated.”
When Harris was asked last November if she would be forthright with the American public if there was something wrong with the president, she said she would say something.
“Of course, if necessary, but there’s no need for that,” she said at the time.
Biden has declared he is staying in the race, saying he is the best person to beat former President Donald Trump. Whether he truly will stay is another question. Days after the undeniable showcasing of his ailing health, sources within the Democratic Party and the White House continue to leak to reporters with different examples of Biden performing poorly.
When Biden met with Democratic governors this week, in person and on video call, he made it clear to them that he is not dropping out of the election. This reportedly upset a few of those in attendance who wanted to at least discuss the possibility before collectively agreeing on a course of action. A weird moment during the meeting included Biden telling the group he was fine, “It’s just my brain.” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign chair, insisted that the remark was a joke.
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