Some analysts are beginning to speculate that President Joe Biden may be undermining Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign in an effort to prevent her from defeating former President Donald Trump. This theory gains credibility when one considers that the president was sidelined due to party elites’ doubts about his re-election prospects; thus, it raises the question of why he would want to validate their concerns.
There is a significant amount of anecdotal evidence supporting this theory, as reported by The New York Post. On September 11, during an event at the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department in Pennsylvania, the president had an encounter with an individual who was wearing a Trump hat.
While signing the hat for the man, he was asked to wear it, to which he replied, “I ain’t going that far,” while smiling. However, he briefly put on the cap to the applause of those present, a moment that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed on September 13.
“Karine, what we saw yesterday with the president briefly wearing a MAGA hat — since the pool wasn’t in the room for that, can you share a little bit more about how that happened and just what kind of message you think it sent?” a reporter asked her at a press briefing.
“And he offered a — a presidential hat to a man who was wearing a Trump cap. He was wearing a Trump hat, and he offered it to him as a gesture. And in return, the man said that, in the same spirit, the president should put on his Trump cap. And so, the president did very briefly. And that’s what happened,” she said.
Last week, the situation escalated when the vice president criticized Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis as “selfish” for ignoring her calls. Subsequently, when questioned about whether her call should have been acknowledged, the president seemed to withhold his support for her stance.
“All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Governor DeSantis,” the president responded when asked about the governor not taking the vice president’s calls.
“He’s been very gracious. He thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing, and I think that’s important,” he said.
The president once more commended the Republican after the vice president characterized the Florida governor as “selfish.”
“The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday, and I said – no – you’re doing a great job, it’s all being done well and we thank you for it,” he said on Tuesday. “There was a rough start in some places, but every governor, every governor – from Florida to North Carolina – has been fully cooperative and supportive.”
Some analysts are of the opinion that the president is deliberately undermining his vice president’s campaign.
“Biden is intentionally enacting revenge on Kamala for knifing him in the back,” Republican political strategist and Trump campaign advisory board member Jason Meister said to The New York Post.
“He never liked her. The happiest he’s looked in four years was when he put a red [Trump 2024] hat on after speaking with Shanksville, [Pa.] firefighters [last month] on 9/11. He should just come out and endorse Trump,” he said.
“It would be absolutely ridiculous to assume that he has no resentment over how he was treated or how, frankly, he was forced out in what some would describe as a coup,” Democrat strategist Hank Sheinkopf said.
“Why hasn’t he appeared in places where he could do some good, like parts of Pennsylvania and states that the president has buoyed during his term? Nobody wants to give up being president of the United States – it’s the one job you don’t want to leave,” he said.
