The US president was reportedly reluctant to step down as the Democratic Party\u2019s nominee amid concerns over VP Kamala Harris\u2019 chances to defeat Donald Trump<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US President Joe Biden was reluctant to abandon his re-election campaign partly due to concerns that Vice President Kamala Harris wasn\u2019t capable of taking on Republican nominee Donald Trump, Axios reported on Monday, citing sources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden announced on Sunday that he won\u2019t seek re-election and would focus solely on fulfilling his duties as President for the remainder of his term. Shortly after announcing his withdrawal, Biden endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party nominee for the upcoming elections. Trump reacted<\/a> immediately to the news, suggesting that defeating Harris \u201cwill be easier than Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Axios report, which cited three Biden aides familiar with recent talks about his plans, the president\u2019s private anxieties reflect broader questions among some Democratic leaders about Harris as their nominee this November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report pointed out that Harris\u2019 time as vice president has been \u201coccasionally rocky,\u201d defined in part by large staff turnover and her reluctance to deal with politically risky responsibilities, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of Harris\u2019 staff has left over the past three and a half years, the article said, citing disclosures which showed that of the 47 Harris staffers listed in 2021, only five still worked for her as of this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former Harris aides told Axios that the high turnover was partly because of how the VP treated her staff. The aides cited high standards that some did not want to keep up with, while others said they felt that she frequently grilled them the way she grilled Trump officials. They referred to it as Harris \u201cprosecuting the staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the report, the relationship between the vice president\u2019s office and the West Wing has often been tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White House aides said they sometimes felt like Harris wasn\u2019t a team player and stayed away from any task that involved risks. She has reportedly been cautious and reluctant to participate in events that weren\u2019t tightly controlled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At times, Harris aides suspected that Biden\u2019s team \u201cdidn\u2019t want to give Harris opportunities to shine\u201d to prevent her from being seen as a viable alternative to Biden ahead of his re-election bid, Axios wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have followed Biden\u2019s lead in endorsing Harris in the hours after the announcement. Others, however, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Barack Obama have refrained from backing her so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis next week will be critical for Harris, 59, to prove doubters wrong as she moves quickly to try to clear the field of potential challengers for the Democratic nomination,\u201d Axios wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n