Kamala Harris asserted that she would “certainly” alert the public if she became aware of any “issue” with Democrat President Joe Biden. Harris addressed inquiries about Biden’s fitness for office during an interview at The New York Times Dealbook Summit.
Dismissing concerns about Biden’s age and health as “political” rather than substantive, Harris responded to CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin, affirming her commitment to informing the American people about any perceived issues with Biden.
“Do you think in your role, that you’re in a position to do that?” Sorkin asked the vice president.
“Of course, if necessary, but there’s no need for that,” Harris claimed.
“I don’t, there is a political argument that is being made.
“That is not based on substance, and you’re asking me to hypothesize around what are my duties to the American people, as vice president of the United States, that are based on ethics and morals and the law.
“I will always follow those rules, but I am suggesting to you that it is important we not be seduced into one of the only arguments that that side of the aisle has right now,” she said.
She then insisted that the Biden admin had “done the work.”
Harris suggested people “look at the track record of accomplishment under this president on infrastructure alone.”
“Many historians would argue [that]not since Eisenhower have we seen that kind of investment in America and the creation of American jobs, not to mention recovering from a historic, economic decline because of the pandemic,” the VP added.
“One person makes the decisions ultimately on all these big issues and many that are less known, and that is the president, and in our case that is Joe Biden.
“He has proven himself to be able to do the work that I do believe the American people want.”
Sorkin posed another question to Harris regarding a statement made by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). McCarthy had expressed doubt earlier on Wednesday, stating that he believed President Biden was not the same person he used to communicate with.
Sorkin said McCarthy “went so far as to say that when they were having the debt negotiations that he didn’t even think he was negotiating with him, that he thought he was looking at cards and that if the information effectively wasn’t on the cards, he wasn’t able to do it.”
“First off, I would say that age is more than a chronological fact,” she said.
“I spent a whole lot of time with our president be it in the Oval Office or the Situation Room and in other places, and I can tell you, as I just mentioned, not only is he absolutely authoritative in rooms around the globe, but in the Oval Office.”
An increasing number of voters, media commentators, and notable Democrats have raised apprehensions about the president’s age. In September, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius urged Biden and Harris to withdraw from the election, contending that Biden was too old.
“I don’t think Biden and Vice President Harris should run for re-election,” Ignatius wrote.
“It’s painful to say that, given my admiration for much of what they have accomplished.
“But if he and Harris campaign together in 2024, I think Biden risks undoing his greatest achievement — which was stopping [former President]Trump.”