Harris says ready to replace Biden: My leadership capacity apparent

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Feb 2024 15:51

The US vice president says that she is "ready to serve" and that "there’s no question about that."

Kamala Harris was sworn in as the 49th vice president of the U.S. by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)

Joe Biden's second-in-command Kamala Harris said she is ready to take over office from the US president if necessary, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing her on Monday.

Her remarks come as Biden is showing signs of old age coupled with memory issues, raising fears among the US public and top government officials. Following an assessment last week, special counsel Robert Hur described Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”.

A recently released ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 86% of Americans think that 81-year-old current US President Joe Biden is too old to serve another term in the White House.

Making things worse, when attempting to defend himself in a press conference, Biden mixed up the Mexican and Egyptian presidents. When asked about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, he wanted to point out joint efforts with Cair on the matter, but said: "The Mexican President, Sisi."

When asked about whether concerns about the president's memory issues meant she must persuade US citizens she is ready to replace him, Harris declared: "I am ready to serve. There’s no question about that."

She added that anyone who sees her performing her job, “walks away fully aware of my capacity to lead." But Harris' claims on her leadership capabilities remain without proof, especially after recent polls revealed that public support for the vice president plummeted to new lows.

A recent poll measuring Kamala Harris' popularity among Americans revealed that the Vice President's approval rating dropped by over 5% since January, going from 41.7% to 36.3%.

Another poll analysis showed lower approvals, as 55% of voters disapproved of Harris' term, making her critically more unfavorable than Joe Biden, who himself holds a record for being the least approved US president.

In more comparisons, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney all surpassed Kamala Harris in popularity.

For reelections, Biden was running against two major opponents with higher polls than expected, but Democrats canceled the primary, leaving the president as the sole option in several states, such as Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.