President Biden and Jill Biden had a tense relationship with Vice Presidents Kamala Harris and Doug Emoff after the vice president lost the election to President-elect Donald Trump, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the “post-election relationship” between the Biden family and the Harris family was at times “frosty” in private, citing people familiar with the relationship.
Harris took the president's place at the top of the Democratic list after a weeks-long pressure campaign that forced Biden to withdraw from the race in July. The president was lauded as a hero and My country to withdrawBut he has been blamed in recent weeks for not coming out sooner in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump's victory.
The Wall Street Journal indicated that First Lady Jill Biden was not fond of Harris since she accused the president of that Oppose federally mandated bus policies During a Democratic debate in the 2020 election cycle, two people close to the first lady and Harris were quoted.
President Joe Biden, left, with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, on stage at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, Saturday, September 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Harris distances herself from Biden, calling Trump supporters “trash”'
White House spokesman Andrew Bates and the vice president's spokeswoman, Kristen Allen, denied any disagreements between the couple, according to the outlet.
During the last few weeks of the election campaign, The team was frustrated With the president's public appearance. Biden made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room in early October, then made headlines at the end of October when he said Trump supporters were “trash,” though the White House denied that was his intention.
Harris has repeatedly defended the president against attacks on his age, fitness, and ability to serve, even after the president withdrew.
Biden has expressed his regret Because he withdrew from the race, according to a Washington Post report, and said he believed he could have beaten Trump.
President Joe Biden, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris look on during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in celebration of National Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, Monday, November 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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The newspaper reported that Biden was careful not to blame Harris while insisting to his aides that he could have won.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the belief that the president would have defeated Trump is not shared among Biden's other close aides in the White House.
The Wall Street Journal reported that White House staff described the work environment as “stressful” and “frustrating” over the past few weeks.
Among admissions of other missteps — including his debate performance — Biden also said he regretted choosing Merrick Garland as attorney general, The Washington Post reported.
Fox News' Bree Stimson contributed to this report.
