The 2020 Presidential campaign saw a lot of twists and turns, with candidates questioning each other’s authenticity and qualifications for the top job. One such instance was when then-presidential candidate Joe Biden privately questioned the viability of his running mate Kamala Harris, according to a book written by Politico heads Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin in 2022. This revelation contradicts the public statements made by Biden, who maintained that he believed Harris had the ability to defeat then-president Donald Trump and was ready for the responsibility of the presidency.
Burns and Martin reported that during the primary campaign, Biden expressed his doubts about Harris’ candidacy repeatedly and privately, stating that she seemed unsure of her political identity. The authors also noted that while serving on Biden’s vice presidential search committee, Harris failed to impress the team or be seen as the most prepared candidate for the role of president.
In spite of these concerns, Biden announced his choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate in 2020, a decision that reportedly did not sit well with First Lady Jill Biden. She had called Biden “racist and a segregationist” during the 2020 debate, as highlighted by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) on CNN.
Why did Kamala Harris serve as Vice President for a man she called a ‘racist’ and a ‘segregationist’?” Cotton asked in a tweet. This sentiment has led to speculation that Biden endorsed Harris to get back at party bosses who had threatened to remove him from the race using the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.
These revelations raise questions about Biden’s true intentions behind selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate, especially given her past comments about him. The Politico authors noted that focus groups found voters questioning why Biden did not consider male candidates for the position if he was genuinely seeking the best person for the job. Despite these concerns and doubts, Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris as his vice presidential nominee in 2020, a decision that continues to spark interest and discussion among political analysts and observers.