Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign and President Joe Biden’s administration are at odds, with insiders telling Axios that Biden’s senior workers are too “in their feelings” to fully back Harris after he was forced out of the race.
Since Harris declared she would unseat Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in July, the two have struggled to stay in agreement. On Friday, Biden held an impromptu press conference to “ensure” that Harris would receive less live coverage of her event in Michigan.
Prior to that, Biden undermined Harris by complimenting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) for being “gracious” and “cooperative,” as Axios reported. Harris had criticized DeSantis for turning down her call over Hurricane Milton, which he denied hearing.
When Biden made those remarks, an insider informed the outlet that he was unaware of Harris’s barbs at the GOP governor.
A close Harris ally told the outlet that senior Biden aides are not totally on board with backing the new ticket after feeling slighted, on top of the public blunders between the present administration and the campaign.
Regarding the president’s staff, the source stated, “They’re too much in their feelings.”
“The White House is lacking people who think about how things would affect the campaign,” stated another member of Harris’s campaign.
Many of Biden’s associates have moved to Harris’s team, according to people with inside knowledge of the White House and the campaign, but some believe they have been branded as traitors for doing so or even thinking about it.
There are apparently conflicts even inside Harris’s team between newcomers from Biden’s camp and those who have supported her from the start.
The White House has refuted reports that senior staff members are under stress.
“We always anticipated many staff would want to transition to the Harris campaign,” a White House insider told Axios. “Everyone from the president on down knows how important the election is.”