Joe Biden's "garbage" comment has pushed the previously sidelined president back into the spotlight, just five days before voters pick who the next U.S. leader will be, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Biden hasn't appeared at a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris since Labor Day and his suggestion Wednesday that supporters of former President Donald Trump are "garbage" miffed Harris. The Democrat nominee distanced herself from the comment and told reporters that she "strongly" disagrees with criticizing people based on who they vote for.
"I am sincere in what I mean: When elected president of the United States, I will represent all Americans, including those who don't vote for me, and address their needs and their desires," Harris said.
It was a difficult choice for Biden to step aside in July and fading on the sidelines while Harris campaigns has been trying, too, according to people close to him.
"Logically, he knows it's the right decision. As a human being with emotions, it's hard not to be there for the final hurrah," one person who has been in close contact with Biden's team told the Journal.
"It's sad to end on that note. He wanted to go out in a blaze of glory."
The New York Times earlier this week reported that Harris' campaign views Biden as a liability in the final days and that officials on her team think holding joint events with Biden would "only hurt her."
Biden's team believe that the president has a place in her campaign.
"If I were running the Harris campaign, the last thing I would want to do is try to make this campaign about Joe Biden," Doug Sosnik, a veteran Democratic strategist who was a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, told the Times. "And of course I would not want him out campaigning."
Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that Biden "knows that every president needs to 'cut their own path,' and he will continue to coordinate with the campaign on where and how he can be helpful, like he has done in recent days mobilizing the labor unions he has worked with for decades."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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