The VP is distandicng herself from Joe Biden in the final weeks of the 2024 race, presenting herself as the change candidate.
In the final stretch of the 2024 presidential race, one person seems notably absent from Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign: President Joe Biden.
Since ending his reelection bid in July, Biden has largely stayed off the campaign trail, leaving Harris to carve out her own path and focus on distinguishing herself from the sitting president’s record.
On Sunday, NBC reported that multiple unnamed Harris campaign and White House officials confirmed there are no plans for Biden to appear alongside Harris before Election Day.
Instead, Biden will privately leverage his political connections, particularly among labor leaders, and continue official duties at the White House to talk up his administration’s achievements.
Biden’s downsized role was a calculated decision between his and Harris‘ teams, with one White House official telling NBC that Biden’s „most important role is doing his job as president“, noting that „it’s clear voters want something new“.
Harris‘ need to distance herself from Biden is paramount as she aims to position herself as a „change agent.“
She has made repeated efforts to land this point, including telling Fox News in a recent interview, „Let me be very clear: My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency.“
She has dropped all references to „Bidenomics“ from her campaign speeches, a term which she and Biden’s administration used to refer to its agenda of investing in domestic manufacturing, infrastructure and clean energy.
In its place, Harris has pivoted to what she calls the „opportunity economy“, her plan to grow the middle class through tax cuts, a $6,000 child tax credit for new parents, assistance for first-time homebuyers and tax deductions for new small business startups, among other plans.
The messaging shift has had an effect. In August, a poll conducted by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business found that 42 percent of voters said they trusted Harris more to handle the economy, compared with 41 percent who said they put their faith in Donald Trump.
