Vice President Harris, who is considered the Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to miss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress and will instead deliver a speech to a sorority house on Wednesday.
Fox News Digital confirmed on Tuesday, citing an aide, that Harris had declined to chair Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress on Wednesday in order to be in Indiana for a previously scheduled event.
According to the vice president’s public schedule released Wednesday, the event is Harris’ keynote speech at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s Grand Boulet in Indianapolis.
Harris, who became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on Monday after President Biden suspended his campaign, will not attend Netanyahu’s speech and will not be able to assume the vice president’s duties as president of the Senate.
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Harris, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, before boarding Air Force Two to depart for a campaign trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Kevin Mohat/Pool via The Associated Press)
If Harris does not attend, that role would normally fall to Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.), but Murray has reportedly refused and plans to boycott the speech instead.
When asked whether VP Harris would have agreed to moderate Netanyahu’s speech if she had visited Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, an aide to the vice president said she would not answer hypothetical questions.
Netanyahu is expected to receive a formal welcome from Republican lawmakers, who have arranged for him to speak on the House floor. The speech will make him the first foreign leader to address a joint session of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill, according to the Associated Press. Many Democrats and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders plan to boycott Netanyahu’s speech.
The most conspicuous absentee will be Ms Harris, who traditionally sits behind the speaking dignitary.
Republicans condemned Harris, the Democratic presidential front-runner, for not attending as a sign of disloyalty to an ally, but former President Trump’s running mate, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, said he would not attend the Israeli leader’s speech due to campaign reasons, according to the Associated Press.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address parliament on Wednesday. (Chaim Goldberg/Pool Photo via Associated Press, File)
As Israel continues its war against the terrorist group Hamas, demonstrators outside the Capitol have warned of large-scale protests against Israeli leaders, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to warn of a “zero tolerance policy” for any signs of unrest inside the Capitol.
A mobile sign reading “Stop Bombing Netanyahu” is set up near the Capitol building in Washington, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Kevin Wolf/AP Content Services, Oxfam America)
“It is our tradition to recognize the right of free expression of all guest speakers, even if we do not agree with their views,” Johnson wrote to members on Tuesday.
Biden, meanwhile, is scheduled to address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Biden, who has been self-isolating in Delaware after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 last week, announced in a letter to X on Sunday that he was suspending his reelection campaign and endorsing Harris as his presidential candidate.
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Harris, who appears to have secured the support of Democratic delegates, arrived in the Milwaukee area on Tuesday for her first campaign rally since entering the race. She has raised $100 million in donations since Sunday afternoon and received endorsements from even more Democratic officials and political groups on Tuesday, including Sens. Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
Tuesday’s visit came a week after the Republican National Convention concluded in the city, and comes as Harris seeks to sharpen her message to former President Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
