In the weeks leading up to the US presidential election, relations between Vice President Kamala Harris’ team and the White House under Joe Biden have deteriorated significantly, creating additional tension in the campaign. This is stated in an article by Axios.
The authors of the article note that although Biden and his team publicly support Harris’ candidacy, the internal dynamics are complicated by hidden resentments and discontent in both camps. Biden’s senior advisers feel that their influence on the vice president’s campaign is gradually weakening, especially after the president has faded into the background in the race. Harris’s team, for its part, believes that the lack of coordination between the White House and the Vice President’s campaign is hampering the campaign, affecting her position in the media.
One of the most telling incidents was that last Friday, Biden unexpectedly held a press conference at the same time as Harris organised an event in Michigan. This automatically reduced the attention to her speech as the news focused on the president.
Tensions also rose after Harris publicly condemned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for ignoring her calls about the aftermath of the hurricanes. Shortly afterwards, Biden, in contrast, praised DeSantis for his cooperation, which only added to the disharmony in communication between the two main figures of the Democratic Party.
Sources in Harris’s campaign emphasise that the White House is not working effectively enough with her team to properly coordinate actions. They argue that there is no one person who clearly thinks through how each step could affect her campaign.
In addition, there is some tension between Biden’s original campaign staff and the new members of Harris’ team who were involved in the election process. This creates an atmosphere of mistrust, especially among members of the vice president’s team who fear that their candidate’s interests may be underestimated.
Despite these difficulties, most of Biden’s staff continue to support Harris and are actively working for her victory. According to Axios, although there are conflicts at the level of senior advisers, mid-level employees from both teams find common ground and seek effective cooperation.
