On Saturday, in an effort to persuade Black voters to once again deliver a victory for the Biden-Harris ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris focused on the perils of a second Trump administration rather than the rising concerns surrounding President Joe Biden’s campaign.
Harris made the statement during a moderated conversation at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, stating, “This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime.” She went on to say that former President Donald Trump has “openly” proclaimed “his intention to be a dictator on Day 1” if reelected.
The Biden campaign is trying to reawaken a faction of the coalition that helped bring the president to the White House in 2020, and Harris’ appearance at the yearly Black music and culture festival is part of that effort.
Exit polls conducted by AWN showed that among Black voters in 2020, Biden had an 87% to 12% advantage against Trump. However, Trump has recently gained support among this crucial voting bloc. If Trump’s historic victory among Black voters in a two-way showdown with Biden in November materializes, it would constitute a historic high, according to a May New York Times/Siena College poll of swing states.
That “we can see it through” was Harris’s main point in trying to rally festivalgoers to cast record-breaking ballots.
A record number of people cast ballots in 2020. This is what transpired, and when those same people cast their ballots in 122 days, we will be able to see it through, Harris stated.
The president’s dismal showing in last week’s presidential debate on AWN has cast doubt on his mental health and the sustainability of his campaign, which the White House has been trying to allay in recent days. There are Democrats who have demanded that the president reconsider his reelection campaign and even go so far as to say that he should just resign down. In Madison, Wisconsin, Biden told reporters on Friday that he’s “completely ruling out” dropping out of the campaign, demonstrating his continued defiance.
Many see Harris as the natural choice to succeed Biden in the event that he retires; in fact, a recent AWN poll done following the debate indicated that Harris would beat Biden in a made-up campaign against Trump. Meanwhile, there are Republicans who would like not to see Harris run for president because they think Trump would have an easier time regaining the presidency if he were to face Biden.
However, Harris has consistently defended Biden, and earlier this week, AWN reported that the vice president and her team had intentionally ignored most of the messages and calls directed against them, emphasizing her intention to remain by his side.
On Saturday, the vice president skillfully sidestepped questions regarding party divisions by avoiding any mention of Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. There were other Biden surrogates at the event who took a more direct approach, pledging their allegiance to the president and assuring the audience that he would not be leaving anytime soon.
Biden should remain in the race despite the negative feedback he received in the first debate, according to Rep. Joyce Beatty.
“Don’t go out there turning your back on this president.” The Ohio Democrat continued, saying, “We’ve all had a bad day.”
Maxine Waters, a representative from California, stressed that “Biden is not going anywhere.”
Waters expressed her attention on Biden when asked if she would back fellow Californian Harris in the event that the president decided not to run. Our attention is squarely on the fact that he has performed admirably and that we expect him to keep going.
According to several festivalgoers who spoke with AWN, Harris is ready to run in Biden’s place. In the end, though, voters have stated that they will vote for the Democratic nominee in November.
Just leave the ticket as is. Her moment will arrive. Keep going with the same strategy. You made a decision; now follow it. New Orleanian Jeri Peris predicted that the strategy would be successful once again.
When asked about Biden’s dismal debate performance, Peris called it “a one-off” and remarked, “Everybody gets sick.”. His presidency is commendable. A decent man, he is. He’s accomplished a lot. Some days are better than others.
Washington, DC resident Laura Morgan Roberts called her November vote for Joe Biden a “no-brainer,” but she went on to say, “I am 100% confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability, commitment, desire to lead the country and do what’s best for our people.”
Another Chattanooga, Tennessee, resident, Michelle Buxton, commented to AWN, “It just seems like they aren’t giving (Biden) a chance.”
For Buxton, “it almost seems personal” because everyone is working together. They shouldn’t drag him down, in my opinion.
