Biden feeling left out, upset at being sidelined in Harris's campaign: Report

The run-up to the 2024 presidential elections in the United States, scheduled on November 5, has seen its fair share of twists and turns. The biggest one, arguably, might be President Joe Biden pulling out of the race he was adamant to be a part of.

Now, according to NBC News, Biden is upset that he is no longer part of the national conversation, despite spending decades in American politics. Six people familiar with the matter anonymously told NBC News that Biden has grown frustrated with the lack of his presence in political discourse that now centres around Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

The people also noted that Biden is particularly angry that Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he hand-picked to be his replacement on the Democratic ticket, has not been mentioning him in her speeches -- especially when it's about the economy, which Biden believes is on the right track because of his efforts and policies.

Biden, who was being doubted over concerns related to his age, quit the presidential race in July after a poor debate performance against his opponent and the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

And, Harris's passing reference to that has reportedly not gone down well with Biden.

“Clearly, I am not Joe Biden,” Harris said during her own debate with Trump, adding, “and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country.” She made the remark in response to Trump’s argument that “she is Biden” as he tried to argue that Harris’s and Biden’s economic policies are the same. .

Despite his frustration, the sources told NBC News, Biden is eager for Harris to win, a development he believes will be good for his legacy and the country. And he plans to help in whatever way he can.

The NBC report went on to note that after inheriting the presidential nomination from him in July, Harris did mentio Biden regularly while campaigning.

“History will show what we here know,” Harris had said at an event on September 2. “Joe Biden has been one of the most transformative presidents in the United States that we have ever witnessed. And it comes from his heart.”

And then, over the past weeks, the mentions have gone down as Harris started to realise her priorities. “She has to become her own person,” a Harris campaign official told NBC News. “She needs to do that to win.”

BIDEN’S STRUGGLE

The president’s decision to quit the race was a long time in the making, with several incidents prompting questions about health, age, and ability to lead. Be it times when he lost balance and fell or when he wandered aimlessly and had to be redirected, Biden’s age had become a raging topic of discussion.

It became news enough for the opposition to bite and repeat. Memes about his misspoken sentences and vague answers started doing rounds on the internet and soon, Biden’s ability to lead the country had become a national concern, so much so that the president was facing pressure from within the Democratic Party to not seek re-election.

LAST STRAW

Then came the presidential debate. With the noise about his age and health saturating his platform, Biden took on Trump in a presidential debate hosted by CNN. It featured active exchanges between the two candidates on a number of issues, but Biden's performance did not live up to the standard.

According to a CNN poll aired after the debate, 67% of viewers thought Trump won, while 33% believed Biden was the winner. With his poor performance in the spotlight, the pressure mounted on Biden.

It was enough for him to quit the race and name Kamala Harris to run in his stead. The decision was appreciated by the members of the Democratic Party and has fetched results as Harris now leads Trump in multiple polls and is putting up a decent fight in key states, making it a race which is expected to be extremely close.