by Kamala Harris spoke of a “bold and vibrant” Joe Biden when asked Wednesday morning about his age in relation to his fitness to run for president — as expectations grow that the 80-year-old will run for the White House again in 2024.
The US vice president attacked Republican “theatrical” Tuesday night during Biden’s strong performance during his State of the Union speech. Biden has yet to declare whether he will run for a second term — or whether Harris will be his companion on the ticket again when he does — but his speech seemed to increase the chances of that, as did her cheerful interview.
Harris praised the administration’s bipartisan successes in an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America early Wednesday, shortly thereafter Biden tweeted“What a night, VP” with a photo of him shaking hands with a beaming Harris after the speech.
The president, who will be two weeks short of his 82nd birthday in the next election, has said he will announce his decision early this year.
“Age is more than a chronological fact, to be perfectly honest with you,” Harris told interviewer George Stephanopoulos.
“It’s about thinking about whether we have in our leader, what we do in Joe Biden, is someone who is brutal. What he achieved during this presidency just two years ago is historic in terms of infrastructure investment… I think you will see that we have a very bold and vibrant president in Joe Biden,” she said.
However, when asked about Biden’s languishing approval ratings, she acknowledged that “people are still hurting in America” due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic and economic challenges, including high inflation.
“A lot of good work has been done, but more needs to be done. There is no doubt about that,” she said.
Harris took a swing at the unruly behavior of some Republicans in the room, including extremist but increasingly influential Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who yelled “liar” at Biden as he spoke.
“I think there’s a little bit of what goes on in that room, unfortunately, that it’s about theater. But when you talk about the content work, I think we’ve seen some success in terms of dual work.
“Look what we did together. It was bipartisan in terms of dealing with gun safety laws, the first time in decades where we had some meaningful federal legislation in that regard. So the president, it’s his nature, and it’s his commitment to the American people to work across the aisle. That does not stop, even if some people are cynical about it.”
Harris expanded on the turmoil in a subsequent interview on CBS Mornings: “Unfortunately, over time, the evening tends to have a theatrical element to it,” she said.
“But I think the president was in charge, and he was focused on the American people, as opposed to the games being played in the room.”
Stronger condemnation came Wednesday from congressmen from both parties. South Carolina Democrat James Clyburn told CNN’s This Morning that Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy’s attempts to crush his caucus fell on deaf ears.
“I understand he did say something about it. And they didn’t listen. When you’re dealing with toddlers, it’s kind of hard to get them to listen,” he said.
Montana Republican Ryan Zinke was also unhappy with the rawness.
“I was born and raised to be a gentleman, and he is my president,” he told the same program.
