Remember Kamala Harris’ performance as vice president of the United States

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman of color and woman of Asian descent to serve as Vice President of the United States.

At the time, the enthusiasm for what this milestone represents was great, but Kamala’s figure was erased during the years of Joe Biden’s administration. His period in the White House, which is not yet over, was marked by thorny issues such as immigration and abortion.

After Biden’s withdrawal, Kamala is now trying to reach the highest position in the White House.

Remember the main moments of Kamala Harris’ vice presidency:

Protagonist in the campaign, supporting in the government

By choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate, Joe Biden marked the history of the United States.

Kamala is the third woman to be chosen to be part of a presidential ticket in the country’s history, in addition to being the first black woman and daughter of two immigrants.

Kamala’s selection was seen at the time as a symbol of change for American politics.

The Democrat’s trajectory is seen as non-traditional and recalls the path traced by former US President Barack Obama.

“The case of Kamala Harris is, however, peculiar. (…) Harris was a first-term senator from California with little experience in Washington DC before being elected vice president. She was never a national leader of her party. This trajectory is reminiscent of that of Barack Obama, a young senator from Illinois and victorious presidential candidate in 2008”, highlights Lucas de Souza Martins, professor at Temple University.

This enthusiasm continued throughout the presidential campaign. The video in which Kamala said: “We did it, Joe” went around the world and marked the day that Joe Biden won the elections.

Because of Biden’s advanced age, who was 77 at the time, many saw Kamala as a natural successor in the Democratic Party.

But all this enthusiasm and shine were erased in the first months of the Biden administration.

Priscila Caneparo, PhD in International Law and professor at the Catholic University of Brasília and Ambra University explains that traditionally the vice president of the USA assumes a behind-the-scenes position.

“The vice president is overshadowed by the president. So much so that we tend not to remember post-campaign vice presidents. (…) Kamala was left with some very problematic issues that have no solution. For example, the southern border of the USA. They say she was not very energetic, but there is no way she could be more energetic, because in her figure she is overshadowed by the president”, said Caneparo.

The issue of immigration, which will be detailed later, was Kamala’s Achilles heel.

In 2021, Kamala was asked by NBC’s Lester Holt why she didn’t visit the US-Mexico border while dealing with the crisis. The vice-president demonstrated difficulty in answering the question and ended up saying that she did not visit Europe while she was in office.

The interview generated harsh criticism of Kamala and, as observed by CNN Brasil International analyst, Lourival Sant’Anna, the vice president ended up withdrawing and disappearing from the spotlight.

For Martins, the lack of exposure can be a problem, but also a virtue for the candidate: “Harris naturally suffers from the traditional lack of media exposure for vice presidents. On the other hand, it benefits from representing a new factor in American politics in a scenario of tiredness in betting on already established figures”.

“Czar” of the border

One of the first missions that Joe Biden gave to Kamala Harris was to solve the immigration problem. The request came after the number of crossings soared, a reflection of anti-immigration measures applied during Donald Trump’s administration.

According to US Customs and Border Protection data from 2021, 173,348 migrants were detained when trying to cross the border without documents, the highest number in 20 years.

The first international trip Kamala took in office was to Guatemala and Mexico. The visit sought to try to contain the migratory flow from countries in the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America – made up of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras – to the southern border of the United States with Mexico.

Among the measures announced was the investment of billions of dollars in the private sectors of these countries that had the largest exodus of people to the United States. The incentives were aimed at companies, with the aim of generating more jobs and long-term changes.

With this, the Biden administration sought to combat the factors that force people to head to the US, such as food insecurity, climate change, natural disasters and violence.

The project, however, was unsuccessful and 2023 marked one of the worst years for the border crisis. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, 8,600 people crossed the border in just one day in September last year.

The records generated harsh criticism of the Biden administration and especially Kamala Harris.

“Any issue that generates a migration crisis on the southern border will impact the elections. They say she could have done more in relation to Americans who take a more conservative stance and are against immigration. When we look at progressives, they say that she was very harsh with the people who arrived in the United States”, says Caneparo.

Republicans, including Donald Trump, even called Kamala the “Border Czar.” The term “Czar” is used in American politics to call someone who has been entrusted by the president to resolve a certain issue.

The opposition tried to hold Kamala responsible for the high flow of immigrants entering the country and blames the Democrat for the security crisis.

“The Republican narrative that links immigration with the issue of violence in cities seems to resonate with Americans who live in suburbs, regions and neighborhoods that are traditionally wealthier in the country. For those looking for immediate solutions to these two issues, Harris does not appear as someone capable of offering immediate policies to curb such trends. At this point, the opposition has the advantage”, says Martins.

At her campaign events, Kamala Harris has emphasized the importance of an approach that balances border security and care for undocumented immigrants already residing in the United States.

Kamala attacks Donald Trump by saying that he blocked a bipartisan immigration project in Congress, simply because the success of the measure would be harmful to the Republican’s campaign.

Kamala visits abortion center

After the United States Supreme Court suspended the decision known as Roe vs Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide, Kamala Harris launched a campaign called “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms”. into Portuguese).

After successive criticism regarding immigration, Kamala took on a leading role in defending women’s health.

The Democrat was the first vice president of the United States to visit an abortion clinic. “The reason I’m here is because this is a health crisis,” Kamala said on the agenda at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota.

At the beginning of the year, the Democrat went on a tour to address the issue in states considered decisive in the presidential elections. The objective was to mobilize voters considered moderate. At the time, Kamala was still a pre-candidate for vice president on Joe Biden’s ticket.

For Caneparo, however, Kamala’s position in relation to abortion will not, today, directly impact voters and especially undecided voters.

“I don’t believe that her visiting an abortion center will have an impact on undecided voters. The undecided voter tends to be impacted by economic prospects and real crises, as is the case with the southern border, than by abortion,” said Caneparo.

This content was originally published in Remember Kamala Harris’ performance as US vice president on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil