Biden 2.0?
The White House said Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris has so far had “no daylight” with President Biden’s policies in their three years serving together, and that going forward, Harris would “build” on their shared “success.”
“What I can speak to is the last three and a half years. We have less than six months now of this administration and how much the vice president was a critical partner in getting the big pieces, historic pieces, done. The heavy lifting,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a press briefing.
“She’s going to lay out her vision. But again, they’ve been aligned. You know? They’ve been aligned for the past three and a half years. There’s not been any daylight.”
Kamala Harris attends a campaign event at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) campus, in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 10, 2024. REUTERSA reporter then asked Jean-Pierre if Biden expects Harris to move “in a new direction” now that she’s the Democratic presidential nominee.
“She’s going to build. Build on the successes that they’ve had,” Jean-Pierre said.
Harris walks to board Air Force Two at San Francisco International Airport on August 11, 2024,in San Francisco, California. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden return to the White House on August 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. Getty ImagesThe Harris campaign has not explicitly laid out how her vision will be different from that of Biden’s 2024 campaign.
The vice president has not sat down for any interviews since replacing the president atop the Democratic ticket and her campaign does not mention any policy plans on her website – instead just highlighting what she did with Biden.
The White House remarks come as Harris is gaining more enthusiasm from voters than Biden did, despite apparently not having a difference in policy.
“That’s another reason why the president ‘passed the torch,’ if you will. Understanding that they worked together very closely in the past three and a half years. And that was going to continue and she was the best person to move forward,” Jean-Pierre added.
President Joe Biden goes for a bike ride at Gordons Pond State Park Area in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on August 11, 2024. Kevin Lamarque / USA TODAY NETWORK
Kamala Harris and her vice presidential running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attend a campaign event at UNLV. REUTERSThe Donald Trump campaign has said they will aim to remind voters that Harris would be another Biden term and that her taking up the mantle will not bring change to his administration’s policies.
A Trump adviser told reporters Thursday in West Palm Beach that their goal is to “ensure” Harris “owns every single decision” and that she doesn’t run away from Biden’s record, especially on the economy and the border.
Both Harris (41.5%) and Biden (38.9%) have underwater approval ratings, with the vice president receiving a boost of about 2% since replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee, according to FiveThirtyEight.
The Harris campaign did not respond to an inquiry from The Post on how her policy vision differs from Biden’s.
