White House: Biden is not holding Harris back, has been ‘really clear about passing the torch’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that President Biden is “not at all” holding Vice President Kamala Harris back in the 2024 election. Jean-Pierre made the remark after Biden said last night that Harris is “going to cut her own path” if elected president, and just days after reports emerged of growing tension and miscommunication between the White House and the Harris campaign.
Biden emphasized during a campaign event for Harris in Philadelphia, “Kamala and I have specific plans to bring down the cost of housing, child care, elder care and more. Every president has to cut their own path. That’s what I did. I was loyal to Barack Obama, but I cut my own path as president. That’s what Kamala is going to do. She’s been loyal so far, but she’s going to cut her own path.”
When asked Wednesday at the White House press briefing if Biden feels he has held Harris back, Jean-Pierre said, “No, not at all.” She added, “I’m not going to speak to politics from here, but what I can say more broadly is that every president has the opportunity to cut their own path. And the president has been really clear about passing the torch, and seeing Vice President Harris as a leader from day one. He’s incredibly proud of her. He has supported her from day one. He has said many times the best decision that he made in 2020 was asking her to be his running mate.”
