Kamala Harris praised Joe Biden on Thursday during their first public appearance together since he dropped out as the Democratic presidential candidate.
And he did the same by hinting that he missed the campaign and gave Donald Trump a nickname.
But many in the crowd were not there. As Biden spoke, dozens of people walked toward the exit.
Pro-Palestinian protesters also began shouting about genocide as the president spoke in a room next to the podium.
The crowd, filled with many of Harris’ sorority sisters, was clearly excited to see her. After she spoke, introduced Biden and gave him a hug, the crowd began to disperse.
Harris herself left the stage for Biden’s speech, but returned at the end for the traditional photo shoot in which the two hold hands and raise their arms in a sign of victory.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris embrace at an event in Maryland — their first public event since Biden left the presidential race
The event was billed as an official White House event, but it felt like a campaign rally, with Biden — and several other speakers — touting Harris as the next president. There were even pot shots taken at Republican nominee Donald Trump.
“The guy we’re up against, what’s his name? Donald Dump? Donald… whatever,” Biden said as the crowd cheered.
He said Harris would be “a great president.”
Harris focused her speech primarily on the man she replaced on the Democratic ticket.
“I could talk all afternoon about the person I stand on this stage with,” she said as the crowd cheered. “Our extraordinary Joe Biden.”
The crowd roared and chanted, “Let’s go Joe” and “Thank you Joe.”
“There is a lot of love in this room for our president,” she noted.
And as she handed over the microphone, she doubled down, saying it was “a great, great, great honor for me to be able to work with this extraordinary human being.”
Biden was equally complimentary.
“I’ve found an incredible partner in the progress we’ve made and she’s going to be a great president,” he said.
The lovefest was welcomed by the crowd, held in the blue state of Maryland. The state’s popular governor, Wes Moore, introduced the duo, adding to the friendly atmosphere of the event.
The room roared as Biden and Harris embraced. And the cheers continued as they took the stage at the end of their speech.
The White House estimates about 2,300 people attended.
Many of those in attendance were not there to hear Biden speak, as dozens of people walked toward the exit during his speech
A protester is removed from the Biden-Harris event in Maryland. Pro-Palestinian protesters also drowned out the president during his speech in an overflow room
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris joined forces on stage in Maryland
Biden was in good spirits during his first campaign-style appearance since leaving the presidential race.
He repeated one of his favorite stories — how he looks 40 but isn’t — and joked about his long social career.
“I’ve been in the Senate for 270 years,” he said as the crowd laughed. “I was too damn young for a long time, because I was only 29 when I got elected. Now I’m too damn old.”
Biden has passed the torch to his running mate. Harris has overtaken his Republican rival Donald Trump in the polls and has even surpassed him in a number of key states that are at stake.
She drew huge crowds to her campaign events.
Before things got started, hundreds of people were lined up outside the venue, wrapping around the building. Inside, the small arena was nearly full. An overflow room was filling up fast. The vending machines were running out of booze. And this was all an hour before Biden and Harris spoke.
Blue and yellow signs reading “Lowering Prescription Drug Costs” hung on the walls, and attendees waved similar signs.
The duo were at Prince George’s Community College to discuss lowering costs, including for prescription drugs.
Ahead of the event, federal officials announced a deal with pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of ten of the most popular and expensive Medicare drugs.
Harris has been blamed by Republicans for the high inflation that occurred during Biden’s tenure. Voters have given Biden low marks for his handling of the economy, and the Trump campaign is trying to transfer those sentiments to Harris.
The government has celebrated the recent fall in inflation below 3%. But corporate price gouging has not been the main driver of U.S. inflation, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has found.
The Biden administration blames corporate greed and the high cost of prescription drugs for inflation.
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, gives Medicare the ability to negotiate prices for some of the most expensive drugs the program covers for 66 million people.
As Senate President, Harris cast the deciding vote on the legislation.
And although this was billed as an official event, it felt more like a campaign rally.
Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said of Harris and the Inflation Reduction Act, “She passed it because she’s the president of the Senate. President is a good title for her.”
The crowd cheered.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris entered to loud applause
Popular Democratic Governor Wes Moore of Maryland introduced Biden and Harris
Democratic Governor Wes Moore, who spoke before Biden and Harris, received huge cheers and applause.
He noted that Biden and Harris would soon part ways, calling them “46 and 47” — Biden is the 46th president and Harris would be the 47th if she wins in November.
“In a few minutes, you will hear not only from the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, but also from the 47th president,” he said.
The crowd responded by chanting, “48, 48, 48,” indicating they wanted to see Moore next.
White House officials said Wednesday night that they expect U.S. taxpayers will save $6 billion on the new prices, while older Americans could save about $1.5 billion on their medications.
The new prices will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Harris will double down on price cuts during her presidential campaign.
She will unveil a proposed ban on excessive pricing in the supermarket and food industries at a rally in North Carolina on Friday, her campaign team said.