(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden hit the political circuit Tuesday night in the critical state of Pennsylvania, though he did not campaign on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Instead, he was the special guest at the Philadelphia City Committee’s fall dinner, a source familiar confirmed to NewsNation. While Biden was at the dinner, first lady Jill Biden stumped for Harris in the key Philadelphia suburbs.
Biden praised Harris and addressed recent criticism of her at the event. Responding to remarks Harris made last week about what she’d do differently, Biden said, “Every president has to cut their own path. I was loyal to Barack Obama, but I cut my own path as president. That’s what Kamala’s going to do. … She’s been loyal so far.”
Half of Biden’s speech supported Harris, while the other half targeted Donald Trump.
Referring to Trump’s town hall in Pennsylvania, Biden said, “He stood on the stage for 30 minutes and danced. I’m serious. What’s wrong with this guy?”
Biden also recalled his late son Beau’s endorsement of Harris, saying it was “the one endorsement that mattered most to me.”
He quoted Beau, calling Harris “an extraordinary leader” and “the next generation.” Biden added, “I’ve been both president and vice president, and I can tell you Kamala Harris has been a great vice president, and she’ll be a great president as well.”
One of those who want to see Biden out more is Donna Brazile, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
“The former and current president needs to help close the deal with undecided voters,” she said.
Several Democratic consultants tell NewsNation – even with his low approval numbers – Biden can be beneficial to Harris in key areas, such as middle-class sections of Pennsylvania where he has his roots.
“I think they should send him out to places like Scranton and Erie, etc. I honestly don’t think it’s the Biden record that hurts them,” one operative said.
Biden has touted Harris’ work at recent events. He mentioned, for example, her efforts several times related to the infrastructure law at a Milwaukee event on Oct. 8th.
Then there’s the separate question of another joint campaign event. Neither the White House nor the campaign are promising it will happen. Various Democrats debate whether that would help or hurt her.
Since she became the nominee, the only campaign event where they appeared together was a Pittsburgh Labor Day rally. The White House previously indicated to NewsNation that Biden and Harris would campaign together in the fall. Back in August the president said following the Labor Day event, “I’m on the road from there on.”
Some are not in favor of a joint appearance. “I think she needs to bring her own ideas and vision to the forefront. It is too hard to do this campaigning with President Biden,” one veteran Democratic strategist tells NewsNation.
Part of the overall equation is how much she emphasizes the first-term policies while on the stump.
Harris knows if she breaks with Biden it likely will anger some of the core Democratic base. However, many centrist voters want change and not to feel they are voting for another Biden term.
Harris’ recent appearance on ABC’s “The View” exemplified the dilemma. She was asked whether she would have done something differently than Biden in their first term.
“There is not a thing that comes to mind,” she answered. “I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”
She touted some of their accomplishments, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
Later during the show, she circled back to the question saying she plans to appoint a Republican to her cabinet. “That will be one of the differences.”
The Trump campaign quickly jumped on the “comes to mind” remark and tried to make the most of it through social media and other means. It played the remark at his rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, Thursday night.
Some Democrats said Harris needs to do more to separate herself.
“This is the second day in a row where @KamalaHarris cannot name one difference with Joe Biden even though all the polling shows she needs to. If ANYONE in the WH actually wants her to win they will call her and encourage her to speak out. There is a lot she can say ‘I respect Joe Biden so much but I will call them as I see them on issues abroad and at home on etc…,'” veteran Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen posted on X. “Remember when VP Biden bragged on having a different view than Pres Obama on Iraq and gay marriage…?”
Other Democrats said doing so carries risks.
“It’s only worth doing if people who might actually vote for care. It doesn’t matter if we care. And the minute she does it everyone will focus on that difference and not anything else for 2 days. Then the media won’t care, and the Republicans will try to get her to do something else. Trump is the issue in the Kamala campaign not Biden,” a veteran Democratic strategist who requested anonymity said.
In interviews, she has emphasized how she comes from a different generation, implying she would approach issues and the job in a different but undefined way.
The coordination between the White House and the campaign hit a bumpy patch earlier this month. Just minutes after Harris began a campaign speech, Biden entered the White House briefing room for his first appearance there. He touted September’s robust jobs report released that morning and talked about the Mideast. Networks aired his news conference live and overshadowed Harris’ speech.
Harris was not happy with how it unfolded, one source with knowledge of the matter confirmed. Her campaign was given a heads-up just minutes before the president started, CNN reported.
“Since his legacy is directly tied to her victory, I suspect he’s giving her a GREAT deal of latitude,” said a different veteran Democratic strategist who requested anonymity to speak freely.
Harris embraces various Biden-Harris administration policies (lower prescription prices for Medicare recipients, $35 insulin and infrastructure programs nationwide) which the campaign believes helps sell her policy agenda and avoid tying herself to the president’s unpopularity.
Biden’s approval has improved slightly in the last few months, but he is still under water. In the seven battleground states his unpopularity ranges from 53% in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to 56% in Arizona, according to the most recent Hill/Emerson College poll.