“I’m not going that far,” President Joe Biden told a room full of his former opponent’s supporters as they urged him to don a Trump hat last month.
But he did go that far. Grinning ear to ear, Biden popped the “Trump 2024” cap on his head, sparking a viral photo and endless memes on social media.
Some observers wondered if the president’s cheeky move — a bad look for the party as Biden’s own vice president campaigned against former President Donald Trump — was more than a light-hearted moment. It’s seeming more and more like they may have been onto something.
In the chaotic weeks leading up to the election, Biden, who was unceremoniously dumped from the presidential ticket, has made several moves that appear to subtly undermine Vice President Kamala Harris as she remains locked in a nail biter race against Trump.
The speculation around Biden’s motives began with the Trump hat incident during the president’s September 11 visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Biden himself asked for the man’s Trump cap before putting it on to applause from the crowd.
Last Friday, Biden joined the White House press briefing — an unusual move for him — at the exact moment Harris stepped on stage for a campaign rally in Michigan. This forced television networks to cut away from Harris’ rally and cover him instead.
Then at the briefing, Biden made it harder for Harris to squirm away from his administration’s record as she attempts to run as the candidate of change.
“I’m in constant contact with her,” Biden said, adding that “we’re singing from the same song sheet. She helped pass all the laws that are being employed now.”
“She was a major player in everything we’ve done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass,” he said. “Her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we’re doing.”
On Tuesday, Biden counter-programmed Harris for the second time in a week, holding a briefing at the White House on the hurricane at the same time Harris was appearing on “The View.”
As hurricane season got underway, Harris slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for not taking her phone calls about the impending storm, calling him “utterly irresponsible” and “selfish” and accusing him of playing political games. DeSantis pushed back, saying he was not aware of any calls from Harris and that she has “no role” in Florida’s hurricane response.
Biden posted a photo of himself next to a phone and said he had spoken to both DeSantis and the Tampa mayor about recovery from Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton.
Tonight, I spoke with Florida Governor DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Castor for firsthand reports on Hurricane Helene recovery and preparations for Hurricane Milton.
My Administration is ready to support both leaders and the people of Florida with any further resources they may need. pic.twitter.com/imXXVXQnoD
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 8, 2024
“My Administration is ready to support both leaders and the people of Florida with any further resources they may need,” Biden wrote.
Biden further undermined Harris’ criticism of the governor on Tuesday, saying DeSantis had been “cooperative” and was “doing a great job.”
The president may have hampered his former running mate yet again leading up to last week’s massive dock worker strike on the East Coast that snarled supply chains and threatened to tank the economy.
Biden held firm in saying he would not step in and pause the strike, something he could have done under the Taft-Hartley Act. Harris later expressed support for the strike. Biden and Harris may have simply been a united front focused on courting the union vote, but Biden’s refusal to step in nevertheless limited Harris’ options to save the economy weeks out from the election.
Meanwhile, Harris has struggled to win over voters with her economic message, and polls show voters prefer Trump on the economy.
“I’ll give you a little secret. He hates her,” Trump said during last month’s presidential debate with Harris.
Trump: “Sleepy Joe… Although Joe is looking pretty good lately compared to Kamala. He’s starting to look sharper. He’s angry at her and he hates her. He can’t take much more. It was an overthrow.”
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 9, 2024
“He can’t stand her,” Trump continued. “He got 14 million votes. They threw him out. She got zero votes.”
On January 20, Biden will ride off into the sunset after over half a century in the federal government — more than a fifth of the country’s entire history.
With his legacy at stake, these last months are his last chance to make his presence felt.
