Vice President Harris doubled down on her support of President Biden on Tuesday, amid calls for him to withdraw from the 2024 race after his poor debate performance last week against former President Trump.
“Look: Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once, and we’re gonna beat him. Period,” Harris said in an interview with CBS News.
When asked if she is ready to lead the country if unnecessary, Harris said, “I am proud to be Joe Biden’s running mate. Thank you.”
Harris’s remarks were in response to a question about Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s (D-Texas) public call for Biden to step down from the 2024 race. Doggett so far is the only House Democrat to make the public appeal to the president.
Biden, 81, faced off against Trump, 78, last week in the first debate of the 2024 general election cycle, during which the president appeared to stumble over his words and lose his train of thought. The incumbent’s voice was raspy for a good portion of the 90-minute debate, while his delivery frequency halted, and he showed difficulty stringing together his ideas.
His poor showing sparked immediate panic from some within the Democratic Party over his prospects of beating Trump in November and effectively leading the nation for another four years.
Harris’s name has been floated as a potential replacement for Biden should he step down, and a CNN poll published Tuesday found she is polling closer to Trump than Biden is.
Facing calls from within his own party to step aside in the 2024 election, the president and his reelection campaign have maintained that he does not intend to do so.
Biden has already clinched the Democratic nomination, winning a majority of delegates in the primary contests, and thus he cannot be simply overthrown at the Democratic National Convention in August. Therefore, the decision is ultimately up to him.