Monday 15 November 2021

White House does frantic Kamala damage control: Jen Psaki and spokesman Symone Sanders rush to defend 'bold leader' Harris and dismiss 'gossip' claims she has been sidelined and Biden has given up on her before $1.2T infrastructure bill signing today

 The White House rushed to the defense of Kamala Harris as her murky relationship with President Joe Biden emerged, including frustrations in her inner circle of being sidelined – but they dismissed the rumors as petty 'gossip.' 

'It is unfortunate that after a productive trip to France in which we reaffirmed our relationship with America's oldest ally and demonstrated U.S. leadership on the world stage, and following passage of a historic, bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create jobs and strengthen our communities, some in the media are focused on gossip - not on the results that the President and the Vice President have delivered,' the vice president's spokesperson Symone Sanders told CNN. 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also appeared to respond to the reports with a tweet in defense of the vice president.

'For anyone who needs to hear it,' she began in her Sunday evening tweet. '@VP is not only a vital partner to @POTUS but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country—from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.'

Harris' Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh reposted Psaki's tweeted.

She also sent her own tweet on Sunday reading: 'Honored to work for @VP every day. She's focused on the #BuildBackBetter agenda and delivering results for the American people.'

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain tweeted: 'Think about how many speeches, from how many officials, you've heard about how we are falling behind China on growth / investment / etc....Thanks to the Infrastructure Bill, next year will be the first time in 20 years where the US invests MORE than China on infrastructure.'

He also retweeted a gif showing Biden saying: 'America is back!'

On Monday, Biden will sign into law the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill at a White House ceremony where he and Harris will deliver remarks on the historic passage.

But at the same time, reports indicate Biden's relationship with Harris is in crisis and her staff is furious that she is being 'sidelined.'

The reports claim the president's team are increasingly frustrated by how the vice president is playing with the American public – specifically with some of her mannerisms like taking on accents and laughing at inappropriate times. 

The White House rushed to Vice President Kamala Harris' defense after reports emerged of increasing frustration and tension with President Joe Biden's inner circle

The White House rushed to Vice President Kamala Harris' defense after reports emerged of increasing frustration and tension with President Joe Biden's inner circle

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated Sunday, in an apparent defense of Harris, that the vice president is a 'vital partner' to Biden

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated Sunday, in an apparent defense of Harris, that the vice president is a 'vital partner' to Biden

Harris' deputy press secretary tweeted Sunday that the vice president is 'focused' on working on Biden's Build Back Better agenda and 'delivering results'

Harris' deputy press secretary tweeted Sunday that the vice president is 'focused' on working on Biden's Build Back Better agenda and 'delivering results'

A new poll Sunday shows Biden's approval at an all time low of 41% – down 11 points since April

A new poll Sunday shows Biden's approval at an all time low of 41% – down 11 points since April


Harris' approval rating has plunged even further than Biden's in recent months, with rumors swirling that the president is considering appointing her to the Supreme Court as a backdoor method of selecting a new VP. 

She and her top aides are meanwhile frustrated with Biden for handing her 'no-win' issues like the border crisis, White House insiders told CNN .

They cited how the president defended 'white man' Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, more vigorously than her.

At the same time, Biden's staff are privately disappointed with Harris over self-inflicted controversies, like her 'awkward' laughter when asked about visiting the border by NBC's Lester Holt.

Publicly, the White House insists the relationship between Biden and Harris remains harmonious and productive.

But privately, according to these reports, they blame her failure on the border crisis for sliding poll numbers. 

Joe Biden's approval rating continues to dive in the midst of economic crises, dipping to 41%. The president disembarks Marine One at For McNair after returning from Camp David to Washington on Sunday

Joe Biden's approval rating continues to dive in the midst of economic crises, dipping to 41%. The president disembarks Marine One at For McNair after returning from Camp David to Washington on Sunday

Biden talks to Colonel David D. Bowling (right) after returning to Washington, D.C. from Camp David on Sunday

Biden talks to Colonel David D. Bowling (right) after returning to Washington, D.C. from Camp David on Sunday

Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff prepare to board Air Force Two on their way back from Paris on Saturday

Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff prepare to board Air Force Two on their way back from Paris on Saturday


A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Biden at 53 percent disapproval and 41 percent approval – down 11 points from April and an all time low for the president so far.

The same poll shows seven in 10 Americans think the economy is in 'bad shape,' suggesting that surging inflation, workers shortages and supply chain backups are to blame.  

Privately, Harris aides gripe that she's been set up to fail, and handed a portfolio that is not commensurate with her historic status as the first woman, and first woman of color, to hold the vice president's office.

'They're consistently sending her out there on losing issues in the wrong situations for her skill set,' a former high-level Harris aide told CNN.  

Typically, the incumbent vice president is considered an automatic lock for the party's next open-field presidential primary.

For Democrats, it's not clear whether that day will come in 2024, if Biden decides not to seek re-election at age 80, or 2028. 

Biden has vowed both publicly and privately to seek reelection, but there is growing chatter in Democratic circles that the president may decide to just serve one term – which means talk of a successor will become a focus in the media.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been thrust into the limelight by being handed control of the bipartisan infrastructure deal – being signed Monday afternoon by the president.

And this fall, Democratic Senators Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren were all on the campaign trails of various candidates, helping to boost their profiles and remain relevant to the public.

Whatever Biden's decision, top Democrats are already eyeing Harris' poll numbers and assessing whether she is vulnerable to a primary challenge.

Some have even begun quietly laying the groundwork for their own campaigns. 

For Harris and her loyalists, it's a political do-or-die moment less than a year into her term, with top aides fearing that she'll pay the price for her loyalty to the president, and her willingness to take on what they view as thankless assignments.  


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