Vice President Kamala Harris opted Saturday to focus her campaign on the dangers of a second Trump administration rather than growing concerns about President Joe Biden’s candidacy, as she tried to convince black voters to once again give a victory for the Biden-Harris ticket.
“This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime,” Harris said during a moderated conversation at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, claiming that former President Donald Trump “openly” expressed “his intention to be a dictator on day one” if reelected.
Harris’ stop at the annual Black music and culture festival comes as the Biden campaign works to revive a corner of the coalition that helped propel the president to the White House in 2020.
Biden beat Trump 87% to 12% among Black voters in 2020, according to US exit polls. CNN. But Trump has recently made inroads into the critical voting bloc. A New York Times/Siena College poll of swing states released in May found that Trump won more than 20% of black voters in a two-way matchup with Biden, which would represent an all-time high if it translated into votes in November.
Harris tried to convince festival attendees that “we can see this through” if they vote in record numbers once again.
“People voted in record numbers in 2020. That’s what happened, and when everyone votes in those numbers again in 122 days, we can see that happen,” Harris said.
The White House has struggled in recent days to calm concerns about the president’s mental fitness and the viability of his campaign, following his poor performance in the presidential debate. CNN last week. Some Democrats have called on the president to take a hard look at his re-election bid, while others have gone so far as to call for his resignation. Biden stuck to his guns, telling reporters in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday that he is “completely ruling out” leaving the race.
Many look to Harris as the obvious successor if Biden steps aside, with a recent poll from CNN held after the debate showing the vice president surpassing Biden in a hypothetical race against Trump. Some Republicans, however, hope to avoid a Harris presidential bid as they believe Trump’s path back to the White House would likely be easier against Biden.
But Harris has repeatedly come to Biden’s defense, and the CNN reported earlier this week that the vice president and her team purposefully rejected most of the calls and texts they received, reiterating that she intends to stand by their side.
The vice president managed to avoid talking about concerns within her own party on Saturday, as the moderator did not specifically ask about concerns about Biden’s re-election bid. Meanwhile, other Biden surrogates present at the event addressed the issue head-on, supporting the president and telling voters he wasn’t going anywhere.
Representative Joyce Beatty argued that Biden should not withdraw from the race just for the sake of a debate.
“We all had a bad day,” the Ohio Democrat said, later adding, “Don’t go around turning your back on this president.”
California Rep. Maxine Waters emphasized, “Biden is not going anywhere.”
When asked if she would support Harris if the president dropped out, Waters said: “We are focused on Biden. We are focused on the fact that not only has he done a good job, but we anticipate that he will continue.”
Many festival attendees who spoke with to CNN said they think Harris is prepared to step in if Biden drops out of the race. But ultimately, voters said they will vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is in November.
“Keep the plate as it is. Her time will come. …Follow the game plan. You had a plan; follow the plan. The plan has worked before; will work again,” said New Orleans resident Jeri Peris.
Peris said Biden’s poor debate performance was “unique,” adding: “Everyone gets sick. He is a good president. He’s a good man. He did great things. Everyone has a bad day.”
Laura Morgan Roberts of Washington, D.C., said it is a “no-brainer” that she will vote for Biden in November, but added: “I am 100% confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability, commitment and desire to lead the country and get the job done. which is best for our people.”
Meanwhile, Michelle Buxton of Chattanooga, Tennessee, said to CNN: “It seems like they’re not giving (Biden) a chance.”
“We’re all here working together and I think it almost feels personal,” Buxton said. “I just don’t think they should take it down.”
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