While President Joe Biden has come under intense scrutiny for his poor performance in the debate and subsequent gaffes at the highly anticipated NATO “big boy news conference,” Vice President Kamala Harris has also borne the brunt of former President Trump’s criticism as she is being portrayed as a possible successor.
In either scenario, Harris would succeed Biden if he steps down, and would also become the front-runner for the 2024 Democratic nomination if Biden abandons his 2024 reelection campaign. A national poll released by CNN last week also suggests that Harris would perform slightly better than Biden in a hypothetical matchup against Trump.
In a Truth Social post, Trump accused Biden of “choking like a dog” during the debate and sent his “congratulations” to the vice president. “Don’t make fun of Kamala Harris.” Trump has previously given his opponents a variety of nicknames, including “Low Energy Jeb.” [Bush]”Crooked Hillary” [Clinton]and “Sleepy Joe.” [Biden].
Biden tells White House audience during Independence Day celebration: ‘I’m not going anywhere’
President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
“Also, our potential New Democratic Challenger“How dare you call Kamala Harris stupid,” he said. “She stumbled through the Democratic nomination process, started in second place, lost and dropped out before even getting to Iowa, but that doesn’t mean she’s not a ‘very talented’ politician!”
The former president also focused on Harris at recent rallies, even calling her “really the worst” in a leaked video of her on the golf course.
Trump harshly criticized Harris at a campaign rally Tuesday night, accusing her of being a far-left ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and harshly criticizing her record as vice president, and suggesting Biden would likely continue in the race because Democrats don’t want Harris as their nominee.
Flashback: The last time Biden held a solo “big boy press conference” was eight months ago.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on June 28, 2024. (Bizayev Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“If Joe had picked somebody half-qualified, they would have thrown him out of office years ago,” Trump said at the rally, “but they can’t do that, because she has to be their No. 2 choice.”
The Trump campaign has not run any ads attacking Harris as a potential successor to Biden, but the Republican National Congressional Committee (NRCC) released an ad last week titled “Be careful what you wish for,” calling Harris a “top Biden supporter” and positioning her as an “architect” of the migrant crisis at the southern border.
“Is this the man we want as president?” The ad said:“Vote Republican in November. Stop Kamala.”
White House aides and campaign staff reportedly ‘dire’ as pressure grows for Biden to withdraw
In recent weeks, both Biden and Harris have tried to shift their focus to tying Trump to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, not just to distract from the pressure Biden faces but also because they see it as a winning message to moderate battleground state voters that could decide the election.
“Trump’s advisers have written a 900-page blueprint called ‘Project 2025’ that details everything they plan to do in a second term, including cutting Social Security, eliminating the $35 cap on insulin, abolishing the Department of Education and eliminating programs like Head Start,” Harris said while campaigning in Nevada on Tuesday.
But President Trump has distanced himself from the Heritage plan, describing some elements of it as “ridiculous” and “terrible.”
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Ahead of the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, Biden’s intellectual acuity has become central to the political discussion after a bombshell Wall Street Journal report – denied by the White House – left many members of Congress with doubts.
Biden has repeatedly said he will continue to campaign.
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
