Giddy Kamala Harris calls Biden ‘vice president’ at July 4 event, as growing calls for him to step down stoke rumors she’ll be 2024 nominee

Kamala Harris accidentally referred to Joe Biden as the “vice president,” repeating a verbal gaffe her boss previously made during a July 4 meeting at the White House.

Many wondered whether she could replace Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate if he were to withdraw, and she was downright enthusiastic when she delivered her speech.

She said, “We thank our Commander in Chief, the Vice President of the United States! The President Extraordinary of the United States Joe Biden!”

Biden then listened to the applause of the crowd in Washington and wished everyone a happy Independence Day, while many of his Democratic party colleagues called for him to resign.

The minor error was similar to one Biden himself made in an interview with a black radio station in Philadelphia.

The gaffe-prone president, 81, stumbled over his words during Thursday’s interview with Philadelphia’s WURD, seemingly conflating himself with his Vice President Kamala Harris and ending by identifying himself as a black woman in a clip that has further fueled concerns about his fitness for office.

“By the way, I’m proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, the first black woman… to serve with a black president. Proud to be involved with the first black woman on the Supreme Court. There’s so much we can do, because look… we’re the United States of America.”

Biden appeared to emphasize his nomination of Kamala Harris as the first black female vice president of the United States.

Confusingly, he himself had previously served as vice president, which is probably what he meant by “serving under a black president.”

The Supreme Court referral concerns Ketanji Brown-Jackson, the first Black female justice, who was appointed by Biden in 2022.

Biden and Harris enjoyed a cheerful conversation Thursday night during the Fourth of July convention at the White House.

Later, during the evening fireworks, he stood on the balcony with his family, Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, to show their support.

At one point, Harris grabbed Biden’s hand and held it high in the air. The two later embraced.

Biden took a major step Thursday in his bid to salvage his embattled reelection campaign, as he grapples with a growing sense that he may have just days left to make a convincing case for himself before Democratic support for him evaporates entirely.

After Biden’s disastrous performance in last week’s debate against Republican Donald Trump, some funders postponed or canceled future fundraisers, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden told a crowd gathered for a Fourth of July barbecue on the South Lawn of the White House.

But at that same event on the South Lawn, he continued to struggle when he went off script Thursday and took a dig at former President Donald Trump in his Fourth of July speech.

The President and First Lady Jill Biden, along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, spoke with military families.

The 81-year-old has come under heavy fire after he was involved in a car accident during a debate last Thursday. A handful of Democratic lawmakers have openly said they believe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race.

The White House has pointed to an upcoming interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos as evidence that Biden is capable of speaking spontaneously, but he distorted his statements when he slipped off the teleprompter on Thursday.

“By the way, you know, I was in that World War I cemetery in France and a — the one that one of our colleagues, a former president, didn’t want to go to and be there,” Biden said. “I probably shouldn’t even say that. Anyway,” he continued, his voice soft.

At another point in the speech he said again, “By the way.”

“I’ve been all over the world,” he said, his voice dropping to a mumble. “I’ve definitely been in and out of combat. You guys are incredible,” he told the service members and their families gathered on the South Lawn.

The president greeted the crowd when told that his presence outside meant no more guests would be allowed inside the gates of the White House.

Biden promised to come back and talk to the people.

A supporter shouted, “Keep fighting. We need you.”

“You got me, man. I ain’t going nowhere.”

A dark cloud hung over Thursday’s festivities — and it wasn’t just the late afternoon downpour — as Biden’s political future hangs in the balance.

After Democratic governors expressed support — albeit tepid at first — for the president’s decision to stay in the race, attendees began leaking juicy details to the press.

Outside the friendly walls of the White House, it remained a popular sentiment among liberal megadonors that Biden would withdraw from the race.

Heiress and major Democratic donor Abigail Disney has announced she will halt donations to Biden and the party as a whole until the ailing president leaves office.

The granddaughter of Roy Disney, co-founder of the Walt Disney Corporation, has often spoken out about her liberal political views despite her estimated fortune of $120 million.

“I intend to halt all contributions to the party unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket. This is realism, not disrespect. Biden is a good man and has served his country admirably, but the stakes are far too high,” she said in a statement.

The 64-year-old Disney’s announcement comes just a day after Netflix founder Reed Hastings became one of the first liberal megadonors to turn off the money tap until the president leaves office.

“If Biden doesn’t leave office, the Democrats will lose. I’m absolutely certain of that. The consequences of losing will be truly devastating,” she continued.

Disney believes the ‘excellent’ Vice President Kamala Harris is more than capable of reaching the top.

A group of wealthy donors is also secretly planning to launch Next Generation PAC, a $50-100 million initiative to support a Democratic nominee not named Joe Biden, the New York Times.

Next Generation PAC — founded by crypto billionaire Mike Novogratz — will hold his money until Biden steps down and gives it to his replacement on the ticket. Should he not drop out of the race, they will target lower-level Democrats, but not Biden.

While the commission has not yet filed a complaint with the FEC, the Biden campaign is said to have heard about it and tried to convince its supporters to stop.

This came after the first elected Democrats came forward to urge Biden to step down, with the party convention in Chicago just weeks away.

Amid anger over White House messaging since Biden stumbled in his debate with Donald Trump in Atlanta, the president reassured governors in a private meeting about his health and political viability — even telling them about a recent checkup that showed he was in good health.

That came shortly after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged direct questions during a heated press conference about whether Biden had been evaluated since Thursday’s debate.