Vice President Harris and President Biden will embark on their first combined campaign trip next week since he pulled out of the 2024 presidential race, the White House announced Friday morning.
Seeking to bolster his reputation in his final months in office while also supporting the new Democratic ticket, the two will go to Maryland on Thursday to “discuss the progress they are making to lower costs for the American people,” according to the White House.
Inflation remains a poor point for Democrats ahead of the November election.
Harris has energized the Democratic Party since jumping to the top place on the ticket after Joe Biden announced his departure from the race following a catastrophic debate with former President Donald Trump that raised worries about his age and mental acuity.
The first female, Black, and South Asian vice president in US history has held a series of crowded rallies, raised record amounts of money, and eliminated Trump’s poll advantage.
In contrast, Mr. Biden has kept a low profile, attending few public events during what has become a lame duck administration, with nearly six months until his successor takes office in January.
The president, who is presently enjoying a long weekend at his Delaware beach house, was not anticipated to make any significant political appearances in support of Harris until the Democratic National Convention, which begins August 19 in Chicago.
But there have been indications that Mr. Biden is eager to promote his legacy as he prepares to retire from a nearly five-decade career in politics.
Part of it is doing everything he can to ensure Harris’ success over Trump, his enemy and the candidate he defeated in the 2020 election.
Harris was a prominent presence by Mr. Biden’s side in a historic moment last week when they both welcomed back U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich and other captives freed in a massive prisoner exchange with Russia.
According to Politico, Harris now wants Mr. Biden’s support in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, where he remains popular, particularly among older white voters..
However, he would keep the spotlight on Harris by focusing on a restricted campaign schedule in the fall, according to the outlet.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, jumped into the breach earlier this week, warning against a recurrence of the events following the 2020 election, when Trump disputed his loss and his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
In his first interview since stepping out of the race, the president stated in an interview for the upcoming “CBS Sunday Morning” that he was “not confident at all” of a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses a second time.
Another objective for Mr. Biden’s remaining days in office is to press for a cease-fire to halt the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which continues to divide Democrats.
Mr. Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar have urged the warring parties to continue discussions on August 15 — the same day as his joint appearance with Harris — to try to reach an agreement.
The president and Harris attended an issue Room meeting earlier this week to discuss the Middle East issue.