Politics

Kamala Harris faces political pressure — and opportunity — as Biden struggles

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Kamala Harris faces political pressure — and opportunity — as Biden struggles

WASHINGTON —

Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn’t bite.

“Joe Biden is our nominee,” she told a CBS News reporter outside a San Francisco fundraiser Tuesday night amid signs the president’s Democratic dam was breaking.

The reporter tried another tactic, asking if she was ready to lead the country if needed. Nothing.

“I am proud to be Joe Biden’s running mate,” she replied.

In the week since Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Harris has received more attention than at any time since her early, rocky days as his No. 2. Polls and party infrastructure give her an advantage over other possible Biden replacements, should he choose to step out of the race against former President Trump.

But Harris is in a delicate position — a magnified version of the political pressure she has faced throughout her tenure in office. She can’t afford to show even a hint that she is looking to replace Biden, the oldest president in history at 81. Yet she has to watch her back, to make sure others do not usurp her in the event Biden’s job becomes available.

“She absolutely, positively has to dance with the one who brought her, and any daylight that she shows between herself and the only person on Earth who could be called her boss would be seen as disloyal,” said one former advisor, who requested anonymity to avoid angering fellow Democrats with succession talk. “If ground keeps shifting … inevitably she’s going to be put in a position of potentially having to make a decision or maybe a decision’s being made for her.”

So far, she’s been earning relatively good marks from Democrats appreciative of her attempts to defend Biden, while Republicans continue to mock her public speeches as word salads.

“It’s been interesting to watch people who have been critical of her over the last three and a half years say, ‘Oh I’d support her,’” said an ally who is in regular contact with Harris’ and Biden’s inner circles, who asked for anonymity to avoid upsetting friends in Biden’s orbit. “People believe, and have always believed, she can prosecute the case.”

Harris went on CNN within minutes of last week’s debate, when most Democrats were still shell-shocked, offering the first version of Biden’s defense. She acknowledged what she called a “slow start” while insisting, “I’m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I’ve been watching the last three and a half years.”

Harris has made a similar case since then, traveling to speeches and fundraisers, including a Tuesday night event in San Francisco, in which she categorized the “elephant in the room” as both the debate and the prospect of another Trump presidency.

“She’s doing her job, and to suggest there is somebody waiting in the wings, somebody looking to get a jump-start on 2028 — no, that’s not Kamala Harris,” said Donna Brazile, an ally who wants Biden to stay at the top of the ticket.

Her sometime rival Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken a similar tack, positioning himself as a public defender for Biden, distancing himself from elements of the party who want the president to step aside. He was scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday night to “stand with the president,” he said in a fundraising email.

Harris had her regular lunch with Biden on Wednesday. She also joined Biden on a campaign call in which he reassured staff that he was “in this race to the end,” according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We will not back down. We will follow our president’s lead. We will fight, and we will win,” Harris told the staffers, this person said.

Though Biden promised her weekly lunches when she took the job, the meetings have been inconsistent, an indication that Biden has often leaned more on longtime aides than on his deputy.

But if she were to run for president, she could campaign on the administration’s legislative successes, including its environmental and infrastructure spending bills.

Republicans would seize on her role as a key player in Biden’s immigration policy: Early in his tenure, Biden assigned Harris to oversee a strategy intended to bolster economic, security and political conditions in Central America to stem the “root causes” of migration.

But Harris has never been comfortable with the assignment, and Republicans have gleefully cast her as the “border czar” as they have attacked the Biden administration for record numbers of border arrests.

Harris gained political strength after the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion in 2022, leading the White House’s response. She has been unable to change the law or to stop red states from passing extensive restrictions on the procedure, but she helped the Democratic Party use the issue to overperform in the 2022 midterm elections. Democrats are hoping to use the issue again if they can move beyond the concerns over Biden’s fitness for office.

A CNN poll released Tuesday found three-quarters of American voters believed Democrats would have a better shot at the White House without Biden. Among possible replacements, only Harris polled within 2 percentage points of Trump. Allies have long said her name recognition and control of the party apparatus would put her in a better position to lead than potential rivals, who include Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who has been a pivotal Biden supporter, said Tuesday on MSNBC that he would support Harris as a replacement, but that his first preference is Biden remaining the candidate.

“But I want to support her going forward, sometime in the future,” he said.

But there remains deep concern about Harris in the party. Even the CNN poll showed her with ground to make up against Trump in a theoretical matchup, and that’s without the media scrutiny and Republican assault that would come with leading the ticket. And her early struggles in the job — which produced high staff turnover and low poll numbers — set a bad impression for many voters, though her average approval in polls has improved slightly in the last few months.

A March USA Today/Suffolk poll found that 54% of voters said she is not qualified to serve as president, compared with 38% who said she is. Focus groups shared with The Times by a pro-Biden Republican group earlier this year showed swing voters and even Black voters had negative impressions, some of which her allies believe were tied to her race and gender.

But even if Harris would have work to do, no other possible replacement has faced as much national scrutiny, possibly making them a higher risk for the party.

“She has been under that spotlight and has taken her lumps as a result,” said the former advisor. “No one can say she’s unknown at this point.”

Bierman reported from Washington and Wiley from San Francisco.

Politics

Gov Whitmer says America ‘ready for a woman president,’ contrasting Michelle Obama

Published

5 hours ago

January 21, 2026

Press Room

Gov Whitmer says America ‘ready for a woman president,’ contrasting Michelle Obama

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Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she believes America is ready for a woman president, pushing back on recent comments by former first lady Michelle Obama, who said U.S. voters were not ready to elect a woman to the White House.

In an interview with NPR released on Tuesday, Whitmer said she has “love” for the former first lady and “the last thing I want to do is disagree with her,” but that she has a different perspective.

“I think America is ready for a woman president,” Whitmer said. “The question comes down to a choice between two people, and what we saw in this last election, while Kamala Harris didn’t beat President Trump, we saw women get elected across the country.”

“We saw women win up and down the ballot in hard, important states to win, so I do think there’s an appetite,” she added. “I just, for whatever reason, we have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future.”

MICHELLE OBAMA SAYS AMERICA ‘NOT READY’ FOR WOMAN PRESIDENT: ‘WE SAW IN THIS PAST ELECTION’

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she believes America is ready for a woman president. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The governor cited the election victories last year for Democratic Govs. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherill in New Jersey, as well as Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024.

In November, Obama said Americans are “not ready” to elect a woman to the White House, pointing to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to President Donald Trump in the last presidential election.

“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” the former first lady said at the Brooklyn Academy of Music at the time while promoting her book, “The Look.”

NANCY PELOSI THINKS A WOMAN WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT, BUT ‘MAYBE NOT’ IN HER LIFETIME

Former first lady Michelle Obama said Americans are “not ready” to elect a woman to the White House. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not … We’ve got a lot of growing up to do, and there’s still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it,” she added.

Pressed on whether Harris lost to Trump in the presidential election because she is a woman, Whitmer responded: “I don’t think it was just gender, no.”

Whitmer, who is term limited and cannot seek a third term as governor, said she does not currently have plans to run for another office.

She has been floated as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, but the governor said her focus remains on serving Michigan and helping her party’s candidates win the upcoming midterm elections.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she does not think former Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President Donald Trump just because she is a woman. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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Asked about how Democrats could win in the midterms this year, Whitmer pointed to her gubernatorial campaign’s decision to remain “focused on the fundamentals.”

“I don’t think Michigan is unique in that,” Whitmer said. “I think every person in this country wants and expects government to make their lives better, and so that’s been our formula here in Michigan and I think that can be replicated everywhere successfully.”

Politics

Anti-Trump protesters join ‘Free America’ walkout in downtown L.A. and across SoCal

Published

6 hours ago

January 21, 2026

Press Room

Anti-Trump protesters join ‘Free America’ walkout in downtown L.A. and across SoCal

On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters walked out of school and off the job to march in downtown Los Angeles nd decry President Trump’s actions during his first year back in office.

The “Free America Walkout” at Los Angeles City Hall was among dozens of rallies taking place across Southern California and the nation. The event was coordinated by the Women’s March and intended to demonstrate opposition to violent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, the increased presence of military personnel in cities, Trump’s harmful immigration policies toward families and escalating attacks on transgender rights.

Hundreds of protesters marched along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Among the slogans on their signs: “Democracy doesn’t fear protest, dictators do” and “We choose freedom over fascism.” Meanwhile, similar marches took place in Burbank, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Scores of students at Garfield and Roosevelt high schools in East L.A. ditched class to join the downtown rally.

“I just don’t know if he’s [Trump] actually done anything that is positive,” downtown protester Mario Noguera told ABC7 News. “Everything’s been about depleting everything: resources, rights. I just don’t feel like we’re getting anywhere.”

The walkout took place on the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, an event he commemorated with a nearly two-hour news conference in which he called his first year in office “an amazing period of time” where his administration accomplished more than any other in history.

“We have a book that I’m not going to read to you, but these are the accomplishments of what we’ve produced, page after page after page of individual things,” Trump said, holding up a thick stack of papers. “I could sit here, read it for a week, and we wouldn’t be finished.”

Among the list of accomplishments he touted were his tariffs, his immigration crackdown, the economy and his actions in Gaza and Venezuela.

The Free America Walkout began at 2 p.m. in cities across the U.S. and was designed to differ from mass weekend actions such as the No Kings protests by deliberately taking place during the workday.

Organizers said that whereas protests demonstrate collective anger, walkouts demonstrate collective power.

“A walkout interrupts business as usual,” organizers stated. “It makes visible how much our labor, participation, and cooperation are taken for granted — and what happens when we withdraw them together.”

In downtown L.A., protesters condemned the effects of ICE raids locally as well as in Minneapolis, where a federal agent recently shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a wife and mother.

This month, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Los Angeles as part of the “ICE Out for Good” weekend of action, a national protest movement in response to Good’s killing.

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, criticized the stream of local anti-Trump protests Tuesday.

“Their boring, predictable tantrums are now part of the L.A. landscape, much like the dilapidated RVs and dangerous encampments that their policies result in,” Hoge told the Los Angeles Daily News. “We are interested in good governance and public safety, and wish our Democrat friends would join us in advocating for both.”

Politics

Ilhan Omar accuses Noem of ‘lies and propaganda’ on Minnesota arrests

Published

17 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

Ilhan Omar accuses Noem of ‘lies and propaganda’ on Minnesota arrests

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Tuesday accused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of spreading “lies and propaganda” regarding ICE arrests in Minnesota.

Omar was responding to Noem’s X post stating that federal officials have “arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis,” including “3,000 criminal illegal aliens” in the last six weeks.

Under Noem’s post, the secretary shared dozens of photos of who she described as criminal illegal aliens.

“This would be amazing if it wasn’t full of lies and propaganda,” Omar wrote. “The only reason she has photos of these criminals in prison is because they were already in prison. Stop terrorizing people with your fake PR about criminals in Minneapolis because the only people on the streets of Minneapolis you are arresting are law abiding citizens.”

NOEM HAMMERS WALZ, FREY FOR IGNORING 1,360 ICE DETAINERS FOR CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a news conference with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on funding and accountability for the Department of Homeland Security in the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Omar, who was born in Somalia and whose district covers much of Minneapolis, has been outspoken against the Trump administration and its deployment of ICE agents amid crackdowns on illegal immigration and fraud in the city and state.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem delivers remarks at the Assumption of Command Ceremony for U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin E. Lunday at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters on Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

TRUMP ASSERTS ILHAN OMAR SHOULD BE JAILED OR BOOTED TO SOMALIA

With the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent as a flash point, critics say ICE agents are engaging in strong-arm tactics meant to intimidate the populace.

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Minneapolis and St. Paul are already hosting some 3,000 federal agents deployed there after a massive fraud scandal rocked the state late last year. President Donald Trump has floated invoking the Insurrection Act to quell unrest in the state, although he appeared to back off the idea on Friday.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.