There is no love lost between Biden and his vice president. If anything, she’s a liability.
And now Biden threw Kamala Harris under the bus with this shady trick.
The decision of Gavin Newsom to debate Ron DeSantis has elicited varied reactions from the White House.
While the Biden campaign indicated it supported the event, Vice President Kamala Harris’s aide labeled it “disrespectful.”
The California governor, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, will debate his Republican counterpart in Florida, with Fox News’ Sean Hannity moderating.
A specific date has not yet been set.
According to NBC News, while some Biden aides were concerned about the intended event, others thought it was okay given Newsom’s low polling ratings.
“What he’s doing here is appropriate for a surrogate,” according to one adviser. “It would not be appropriate for the president or the vice president. We’re in close touch with him.”
The president’s reelection campaign also described Newsom as “a strong partner and surrogate for the Biden-Harris campaign,” with spokeswoman Kevin Munoz stating they “coordinate closely on campaigning, whether it’s fundraising or media.”
“When he brought the debate idea to us, we endorsed it,” Munoz continued.
Harris’ crew was less enthusiastic about the notion. One outside adviser even called Newsom’s behavior “disrespectful.”
“Joe Biden is running with Kamala Harris,” he announced. “That’s the Democratic Party ticket.”
You see, Kamala Harris has even worse approval numbers than Joe Biden, so you can understand why her staff is raising their eyebrows at this whole ordeal.
But, so far, there is no cause for worry in the polls.
A recent Premise poll questioned Democrats who they would prefer to see as the nominee if Biden does not run in 2024. Of the 1,651 responders, 23% named Kamala Harris, 14% named Hillary Clinton, and 13% named Bernie Sanders. Only 10% of those polled backed Newsom.
The debate was first proposed in June, when Newsom appeared on Hannity.
He asked California Governor whether he’d compete against DeSantis, to which he answered, “I’m all in. Count on it.”
DeSantis responded in kind, saying, “Absolutely. I’m game. Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where. We’ll do it.”
Of course, Democrats are not known for following through on their promises, so we’ll see if this debate ever takes place.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
