Sunday, a senior Senate ally of President Joe Biden stated that Vice President Kamala Harris is prepared to become commander-in-chief.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) made the remark in an interview less than a week after Biden announced he would run for re-election in 2024 alongside Harris, according to The Daily Wire.
“The vice president’s ready to run and ready to be president should that ever happen,” Coons said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I know our president has great confidence in her, and so do I.”
Democrat Senator Chris Coons: "The vice president is ready to run and ready to be president" 🥴 pic.twitter.com/RMyEK2vkJT
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 30, 2023
Biden chose Harris as his running mate despite her low approval ratings and detractors' perception that she did not treat her role as leader of the Biden administration's efforts to address the migration challenge at the U.S.-Mexico border seriously. White House and Biden's campaign are working to improve her image, according to Axios.
Even among Democrats, there are concerns about Biden's age and ability to serve a full eight-year term in office, which has led to a significant amount of attention being paid to Harris.
Biden would be 86 years old at the conclusion of a second term, making him the eldest person ever to serve as president.
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press" on Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended Vice President Joe Biden when moderator Chuck Todd asked if Biden is seeking a second term.
“Oh, Chuck, 100% — incredibly sharp, incredibly probing, incredible command of the details, probing on the details, asking tough questions. Absolutely,” Majorkas said.
"Is [Biden] up for a second term?"
MAYORKAS: "Oh, Chuck, 100% — incredibly sharp, incredibly probing, incredible command" pic.twitter.com/u5aCA3gwpb
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 30, 2023
Coons, who served in the Senate with Harris, praised Harris in response to Martha Raddatz's question about why it took so long for the Biden team to decide to put the vice president "front and center" on significant issues.
Coons acknowledged Harris's difficulty in garnering sympathetic media coverage but insisted she is a forceful leader.
“The vice president, like many vice presidents, has struggled to get positive press coverage and to get the credit she deserves for the hard work that she’s been doing,” Coons said.
“I had a great opportunity to travel with her on a recent trip to Ghana and was so struck by how easy and engaging she was, by the speeches she gave, but also the significant meetings with national leaders,” he added. “And I saw that this week again as we did a campaign kickoff event.”