Harris forced to confirm 'Biden very much alive' as his re-election chances suffer blow
Kamala Harris had to reassure Democratic donors about Joe Biden's ability to secure another win for the party as speculation about his health leaves the party in jitters.
Stephen Colbert asks Kamala Harris about what her role as vice president means
Kamala Harris had to confirm Joe Biden is "very much alive" after being confronted about dwindling support in the polls and concern from donors.
A Gallup poll released last week showed the President's popularity collapsed by 11 percentage points in the last month – and his repeated public gaffes had raised questions about his chances of winning next year's election.
Biden remains the Democratic frontrunner for the moment and, bar a criminal conviction, he is likely to be facing Donald Trump for a second time on the ballot box next November.
However, the President has sparked concerns the party would struggle to find a suitable substitute to run in his place should health issues arise before the vote.
Harris was confronted about the uncertainty during an appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday.
READ MORE: US to build new nuclear weapon 24 times stronger than bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Presenter Bill Whitaker asked: "We were talking to some Democratic donors, and they have told us that, should something befall President Biden, and he is not able to run, that there would be a free for all for who would run as president.
"You are in the spot that that would be a natural for you to step up. But we’re hearing from donors that they would not naturally fall into line. Why is that?"
But Harris immediately dismissed the premise of the question and insisted Biden is still in the running for a second term.
The vice president said: "First of all, I’m not going to engage in that hypothetical because Joe Biden is very much alive and running for re-election."
Whitaker however cut in pointing out the concern remains among Democrats because of Biden's advanced age: "But you do know. I mean that is a concern, and a legitimate concern, I would say."
DON'T MISS:
Johnson claims Biden 'very likely' committed impeachable offenses [POLITICS]
Joe Biden is outclassed by Xi and Putin - the world was safer under Donald Trump [COMMENT]
Joe Biden suffers hammer blow as new polls shows Democratic approval collapse [POLL]
Harris hit back: "I hear from a lot of different people a lot of different things. But let me just tell you, I’m focused on the job. I truly am.
"Our democracy is on the line, Bill. And I, frankly, in my head do not have time for parlor games, when we have a president who is running for re-election."
The confrontation came after Rep. Dean Phillips (D. - MN) entered the race himself on Friday in an event outside New Hampshire's statehouse, saying, “it is time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders.”
While unlikely to beat Biden, Phillips' run offers a symbolic challenge to national Democrats trying to project the idea that there is no reason to doubt the president’s electability.
He said in his speech that he would try to fix the economy and warned about high prices and “the chaos at our border” — all issues that are potential vulnerabilities for Biden as he heads into a likely rematch against former President Donald Trump.
And Phillips is trying to engage New Hampshire Democrats angry at Biden for diluting their state’s influence on the 2024 Democratic primary calendar, noting that the state had historically been “first to vet presidential candidates like me."
Biden has long cast himself as uniquely qualified to beat Trump again after his 2020 win, and top Democrats have lined up behind him while also positioning themselves for a future primary run.
His re-election campaign issued a statement Friday saying it was “hard at work mobilizing the winning coalition that President Biden can uniquely bring together” to beat Trump.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews and @expressusnews
