President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris were all smiles during the Democratic National Convention in August, but lately observers have questioned whether a resentful Biden is trying to torpedo Harris’s presidential campaign. (Demetrius Freeman – The Washington Post / Getty Images)
By Michael Schwarz October 8, 2024 at 1:04pm
President Joe Biden may yet have the last laugh.
In fact, if the cognitively impaired octogenarian president actually knows what he is doing at the moment — and recent events suggest that he might — then his apparent undermining of Vice President Kamala Harris will go down as one of history’s most epic acts of political sabotage.
On Tuesday morning, at the same time the vice president appeared on ABC’s “The View,” and with Hurricane Milton bearing down on western Florida, Biden conducted a press conference at the White House, where he praised Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, whom Harris had accused of selfishness and “political gamesmanship” only a day earlier.
The vice president’s comments drew a sharp rebuke from DeSantis.
Significantly, the Florida governor noted that Harris had never bothered to call him during past storm-related crises, so the fact that she did so now, amid her presidential campaign, suggested that she, not he, selfishly hoped to win political points.
Furthermore, DeSantis indicated that he has had no trouble dealing with Biden during the current storm-response preparations.
In other words, the Florida governor praised Biden while castigating Harris.
So how did the president respond on Tuesday?
“The governor of Florida has been cooperative,” Biden told a gaggle of yelling reporters in a clip posted to the social media platform X.
Do you think Biden is intentionally undermining Kamala Harris?
Had he wanted to avoid political headlines, the president could have stopped with that generic “cooperative” comment. But he did not.
“He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday, and I said — I said, ‘No, you’re doing a great job. It’s being all — being done well. We thank you for it.’ And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call,” Biden added.
Biden, responding to screaming reporters trying to get him to attack Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with false claims he’s being political about #Milton and not chatting with Vice President Harris:
“The Governor of Florida has been cooperative. He’s said he’s gotten all that he… pic.twitter.com/0q5tUxZptQ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 8, 2024
Wow. Just wow.
Whether or not Biden deliberately undermined Harris, his friendly gesture toward DeSantis occurred in a political context one cannot ignore.
Since July, when Democrat elites staged a coup against Biden and then handed the party’s presidential nomination to the unimpressive Harris, the president has reportedly harbored bitterness toward those whom he blames for his political misfortune, including former President Barack Obama.
At last month’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump told a nationwide audience that Biden “hates” the vice president.
“I’ll give you a little secret. He hates her. He can’t stand her,” Trump said in a clip posted to X.
President Trump says Joe Biden actually “hates” Kamala Harris, he should after she forced him to give up on his campaign pic.twitter.com/OUiRJQseG8
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) September 11, 2024
Trump’s words appeared prophetic the next day when Biden, in a rare good-natured moment, donned a Trump supporter’s red hat.
Still, there is a gargantuan difference between jokingly wearing a Trump hat and actively undermining Harris in her dispute with DeSantis.
Social media users noticed the difference.
In fact, Clay Travis of Outkick even quoted the former president’s words on the debate stage.
“Holy crap, Joe Biden just said Ron DeSantis has his direct number, is doing a great job on hurricane response, directly undercutting Kamala. Biden hates her. Not hiding it now,” Travis tweeted.
Holy crap, Joe Biden just said Ron DeSantis has his direct number, is doing a great job on hurricane response, directly undercutting Kamala. Biden hates her. Not hiding it now: pic.twitter.com/Bm95Nh75Iq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 8, 2024
Others drew the same conclusion.
Kamala yesterday: DeSantis is “playing political games” with Hurricane Milton
Biden today: DeSantis “has been cooperative” and “is doing a great job.”pic.twitter.com/8MLaw4aODK
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 8, 2024
Biden throwing Kamala all the way under the bus
— Shane Funk (@TheBigFunk) October 8, 2024
He hates Kamala Harris so much lol
— Bojac (@HeartlessBojac) October 8, 2024
The fact that Biden held his hurricane press conference during Harris’s appearance on “The View” also did not go unnoticed.
Kamala is currently on the View.
For the second time in a week, Biden counter programmed her — holding a briefing at the White House on the hurricane at the same time. pic.twitter.com/8R8Cu6KN93
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 8, 2024
He’s undermining her. It’s hilarious
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 8, 2024
In sum, while we cannot know that Biden has deliberately sabotaged Harris, substantial evidence suggests that if the vice president counted on unwavering support from her displaced boss, then she might have miscalculated.
If so, then this is one battle in which all American patriots are rooting for the president.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
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