Joe Biden's Shady Take On 2024 Election Amps Up Rumors Of Kamala Harris Feud

Fallout from the November 2024 presidential election continues as President Joe Biden prepares to leave the Oval Office ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's second term. Biden has remained steadfast that he would have beaten Trump if he stayed in the race, telling USA Today in January 2025, "It's presumptuous to say that, but I think yes, based on the polling." He reiterated this to reporters at the White House, saying, "I think I would have beaten Trump, could have beaten Trump" (via Reuters). He added, "I think that Kamala [Harris] could have beaten Trump," though those words ring hollow as Vice President Harris lost to Trump in November.

Biden's comments do nothing to quell rumors that he and Harris are at odds. The Wall Street Journal reported that their relationship is strained as their administration comes to an end, with a source calling out the "one-sided loyalty" Harris has displayed to Biden amidst his remarks. Harris was steadfastly loyal to Biden on the campaign trail, perhaps even to her detriment. When speaking on "The View" in October 2024, Harris said, "There is not a thing that comes to mind" regarding if she would have done something different or made different decisions than Biden during his presidency (via AP News). That interview became something of a turning point for Harris's campaign, and her inability to separate herself from Biden is often seen as a determining factor in her loss.

Originally, President Joe Biden was going to face President-elect Donald Trump in the November 2024 election. However, after a disastrous June 2024 debate, pressure mounted for Biden to step aside, which he finally did a month later. "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump," he said in a Tweet after he announced his decision. 

Ultimately, Biden's decision came too late, and he's taken a beating after Harris's defeat. "The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden. If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place," Andrew Yang said in the aftermath of the election (via AP News). Representative Seth Moulton argued that if Biden had stepped aside sooner, Democrats "would have been much better off." 

Relations between Harris and the Bidens were chilly immediately after the election. They remained so all the way into the new year, with Harris and First Lady Jill Biden letting the tension remain on full display during Jimmy Carter's funeral on January 9. CNN's Jake Tapper remarked "You didn't see a particularly warm greeting between the first couple and the second couple" during the broadcast, noting that Biden and his wife Jill were stiffly seated with the equally rigid Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff (via NY Post). For their part, an administration official tried to calm down the public's perception of the tension between the pairs, telling the Daily Mail they spoke at length before the funeral began. "It was very warm, it was very loving."