According to an Axios report, the Harris campaign is starting to look more like a dysfunctional family reunion than a smooth operation. Apparently, there’s been some growing tension and miscommunication between the White House and the Harris team, and it seems like not everyone is on the same page after Biden was nudged out of the 2024 race. Some Biden aides are still licking their wounds, adjusting to the fact that their guy is no longer the center of attention and that they now have to play backup for Harris. One Harris ally even went so far as to say that Biden’s people are “too much in their feelings.” Well, that’s one way to describe a bruised ego.
One of the big complaints coming from Harris’s camp is that the White House isn’t coordinating Biden’s messaging with Harris’s campaign needs. A recent incident had Biden holding a surprise press conference on the same day Harris was trying to make headlines at an event in Michigan. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Biden also went off-script and praised Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his hurricane management—right after Harris publicly complained that DeSantis wouldn’t return her calls. It’s almost as if no one bothered to brief Biden on Harris’s talking points before he went out and inadvertently stepped on her messaging. Smooth, right?
It gets better. One Harris aide complained that the White House lacks someone who’s actually thinking about how their actions affect the campaign. Imagine that: an administration that seems to be on autopilot when it comes to campaign strategy. Sure, some Biden aides are reportedly cheering for Harris behind the scenes, but that hasn’t stopped the tension. Especially among those White House staffers who have jumped ship to work for Harris. Some of Biden’s team apparently view those folks as disloyal for even considering the switch. If you thought the Harris campaign would be a united front, think again—there’s plenty of awkwardness between the old Biden crew and the new Harris loyalists.
The squabbles aren’t just internal either. There’s also been chatter about who gets to be the face of the campaign on TV. Should Biden’s original surrogates stay on? Or should new faces take over to push Harris’s narrative? Apparently, this was a point of contention in the weeks after Harris officially became the Democratic nominee. Nothing like a bit of infighting to really inspire confidence in a campaign.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, of course, tried to smooth things over by insisting Biden has been nothing but supportive of Harris since he left the race, and that they’ve made “significant changes” to ensure Harris’s team has all the resources they need. That’s a nice way of saying they’re scrambling to hold it all together. But Bates wrapped it all up in a neat bow, talking about the “strong, trusting relationship” between the teams—because nothing screams trust like a bunch of staffers looking over their shoulders, wondering who’s loyal to whom.
