US President Joe Biden still believes he is a “transitional candidate,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday (3). Jean-Pierre added during the press conference that Vice President Kamala Harris is the “future of the party.”
“I think his statement is valid. I mean, one of the reasons he chose Vice President Kamala Harris is because she is indeed the future of the party,” Jean-Pierre said when asked by MJ Lee of CNN about the American president’s previous comments.
Biden called himself a “bridge” to future Democratic leaders at a campaign event alongside Harris, Sen. Cory Booker and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March 2020.
“Look, I see myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said in 2020.
“You saw a whole generation of leaders behind me. They are the future of this country,” the American politician added.
Succession plan takes shape
President Joe Biden has been intentionally keeping Vice President Kamala Harris close at the helm of his latest events, including an invitation to attend his evening meeting with Democratic governors at the White House, a lunch in his private dining room and a joint appearance during a campaign call in Wilmington.
A senior Biden campaign adviser told CNN, that the message is clear: “He is with her.”
The president continues to publicly declare his intention to remain in the race. But should he decide to step aside, a succession plan for the Democratic presidential campaign against Donald Trump is taking shape that is expected to put the Biden-Harris relationship in stark relief.
Several party officials and advisers say plans are underway for Biden to immediately throw his support behind Harris, release his Democratic lawmakers and ask them to do the same.
Former presidents and party leaders would follow suit, hoping to avoid a contentious fight to lead the Democratic ticket.
“Who would stand up to our historic vice president to be our presidential candidate?” a senior Democratic official told CNN speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of any formal decision by Biden.
In fact, Harris is doing everything she can to avoid being seen as someone who is out to get the president. She told her staff again today that the timing of that decision “is up to Biden to make,” according to an aide.
At the White House tonight, it was notable that the president and his advisers invited Harris to participate in the meeting with governors, which puts her in the same room as some of the same men and women who could become challengers — or, as the contingency plan calls it — their own potential running mates, should Biden end his reelection bid.
With Election Day four months away, senior campaign advisers said it would be remiss not to make contingency plans. The virtual call is expected to come weeks before the Aug. 19 Democratic convention in Chicago, accelerating the campaign’s decision.
If Harris were to ultimately become the Democratic presidential nominee, she would inherit the political infrastructure and a robust war chest, given that this is the Biden-Harris campaign.
The Democratic succession plan is waiting above all for one thing, advisers say: Biden.
Source: CNN Brasil
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