Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn’t outright answer whether she was ready to take over President Biden’s position if he decided not to run in 2024, saying he is “very much alive.”
“Well, first of all, I’m not gonna engage in that hypothetical because Joe Biden is very much alive and running for reelection. So there we are,” she said in a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday.
Polls have found that the public believes Mr. Biden is too old to effectively serve another four-year term. Mr. Biden would be 82 when he began his second term and 86 when it was over.
“I hear from a lot of different people a lot of different things. But let me just tell you, I’m focused on the job. I truly am,” Ms. Harris said. “Our democracy is on the line. … And I frankly, in my head, do not have time for parlor games, when we have a president who is running for reelection. That’s it.”
Ms. Harris has not fared well in the approval polls, with 54.9% of Americans disapproving of her, according to polling website FiveThirtyEight. Only 38.8% approved of her. Mr. Biden isn’t performing much better, with 39.9% of Americans approving of him and 53.9% disapproving.
Asked why the Biden-Harris ticket isn’t outperforming former President Donald Trump’s campaign by 30 points, Ms. Harris said that she is not a “political pundit.”
Still, she remains confident they will win in 2024.
“But what I will say is this: When the American people are able to take a close look at election time on their options, I think the choice is gonna be clear,” she said. “We’re gonna win. Let me just tell you that. We’re gonna win. And I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. But we will win.”
Ms. Harris said she and Mr. Biden just have to focus on getting the campaign’s message to the people.
“We gotta make our case to the American people,” she said. “That’s part of our responsibility. And that’s this process. And that’s what it is. And that’s a fair process.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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