You’d think that having a sitting president on side would be seen as a pretty big upper hand in the final hours of your own campaign for the White House.
That doesn’t apply to Kamala Harris.
On Sunday, as the Democratic nominee made her final bid for election, Harris assembled a star-studded squad of political big names and sent them into the tightest swing states:
Barack Obama attended a rally in Wisconsin. Bill Clinton was out and about in North Carolina. Even the current First Lady, Jill Biden, took a dig at Harris and greeted voters in Pennsylvania.
But Joe Biden was nowhere to be seen.
You’d think that having a sitting president on side would be seen as a pretty big upper hand in the final hours of your own campaign for the White House. That doesn’t apply to Kamala Harris.
He was holed up in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware – a comfortably blue state – enjoying a long lunch at his golf club with an old friend.
Days earlier, Biden had embarrassed Harris with another gaffe, apparently calling Donald Trump’s supporters “trash.” Publicly, the White House insisted that he had not, in fact, said what everyone had heard.
But behind closed doors, the Harris campaign’s message to Joe was clear: stay away.
To be sure, Biden’s life has changed dramatically in the past three months. After entering the year insisting he was fit enough to run again and beat Trump, Biden ultimately dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed Harris as his replacement the same day.
Within hours, the 81-year-old Biden had become what he – and his very ambitious wife – had always feared: a lame president.
After four years at the center of the political universe, Biden suddenly disappeared from the spotlight — as the world’s attention shifted to a younger, exuberant candidate.
This rapid relegation to the political periphery appears to have been actively – perhaps brutally – encouraged by Harris’ team.
According to a report from Axios, the Harris campaign last month rejected the president’s repeated offers to help her along the way.
Team Harris’ response every time: we’ll get back to you.
Privately, Jill Biden has described the situation as “difficult” for her husband.
Last week, Biden had embarrassed Harris with another gaffe, appearing to call Donald Trump’s supporters “trash.” Behind closed doors, the Harris campaign’s message to Joe was clear: stay away.
In late August, the president joked at a White House reception that he needed a new job, before appearing a little teary during his speech.
Elsewhere he is seen wandering stiffly, with some commenting that he appears ‘lost’.
Insiders tell the Mail that the president is ‘watching more television’, with his seven grandchildren giving him recommendations on what to stream on Netflix.
Even his most sympathetic allies would say it’s fair to characterize him as a bit lonely.
In early October, Jill left her husband to campaign for Harris in five key states. As she left the White House, the president stood alone outside the Oval Office and waved goodbye as her motorcade drove away.
For her part, the First Lady is keeping herself busy. She still teaches English two days a week at Northern Virginia Community College. But as she campaigns for Harris, it’s noticeable that she barely mentions her husband.
Harris has taken pains to emphasize that her presidency would not be “a continuation of Joe Biden’s.”
Biden’s record on the immigration crisis, inflation and foreign wars is something Harris has awkwardly tried to distance herself from, despite also insisting she has been an active vice president.
Of course, Biden still has his daily briefing books to keep him busy, but aides say his focus has now shifted to the future — including deciding the location of his presidential library and restarting the Biden Foundation, his charitable effort.
He mentioned Syracuse University (New York), the University of Delaware and Washington DC as three potential locations for a Biden Presidential Center.
He has ties to all of them. (He received his law degree from Syracuse, his bachelor’s degree from Delaware and spent his professional life in DC)
There is more competition. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti has said she will make an effort to host Biden’s library.
In early October, Jill left her husband to campaign for Harris in five key states. As she left the White House, the president stood alone outside the Oval Office and waved goodbye as her motorcade drove away.
The University of Pennsylvania – where Biden once taught – is also likely to make a bid.
With interest in the president waning at home, he has shifted his focus International farewell tour.
Last month he received the ‘Order of Merit’ in Germany – one of the country’s highest honors.
In December he will travel to Sub-Saharan Africa. He will also attend his final G20 meeting in Brazil later this month. And he has expressed interest in a trilateral summit with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
Biden is in an unusual position. Most of the lame ducks have retired and know they don’t have another four years. They are using their second term to shape their legacy.
Others spent the months leading up to their departure fighting to win re-election before ultimately losing.
Until this summer, Biden had another four years planned — until that disastrous TV debate with Donald Trump.
“I doubt that Biden had really mapped out what would ultimately be his last 100 days or last few months,” Professor David Redlawsk, a political scientist at the University of Delaware, told the Mail.
As such, Biden’s official diary was remarkably empty. For 43 of the 75 days since he dropped out of the race, he has had no scheduled public events. He also did not hold a single press conference during his trip to Germany last month.
Such is the interest in Biden’s apparent lack of activity that his White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, carries a special “lame duck” file to help her answer any media questions about her absent boss.
Meanwhile, many of his White House staffers have already moved on to new jobs, some on Capitol Hill, others in the private sector.
Biden’s chief of staff, Jeffrey Zients, also appears to have more time on his hands, as reporters have spotted him in DC, personally buying lunches for his team and sneaking out of the White House gate to enjoy time outside — something that would be unthinkable have been just six months ago.
Zients has been tasked with kick-starting the transition process and meeting with the Harris and Trump campaigns to make logistical arrangements for whoever wins.
In the coming weeks, the Bidens will pack up their personal belongings and staff will have to ensure that all documents are transferred to the National Archives.
Biden also has to fill out post-employment paperwork, just like any other American leaving the workforce.
Biden’s chief of staff, Jeffrey Zients (right), also appears to have more time on his hands, as reporters have spotted him in DC, personally buying lunches for his team and sneaking out of the White House gate to enjoy the time outside.
As a former president, he receives lifelong health care and a stipend to set up an office. He is also eligible for two different federal pension programs due to his long tenure in the Senate and his time as president. Combined, these could earn him $413,000 a year.
Jill Biden is said to be particularly focused on cementing a legacy for her husband.
Last month, she unveiled an updated public tour of the White House, complete with new rooms for the public to view and interactive videos of the President and First Lady addressing visitors.
The Bidens are pushing their “Moonshot” initiative, which aims to dramatically reduce cancer deaths. It’s an issue close to their hearts: Biden’s son Beau died from the disease in 2015 at the age of 46.
And then comes a list of “last things” at the White House: a final round of holiday parties, a farewell dinner, another Thanksgiving turkey to pardon.
In recent months, famed photographer Annie Leibovitz has been spotted with the Bidens — both at Camp David over the July weekend when Joe withdrew from the race, and in Florida, where she took photos of Biden as he surveyed hurricane damage last month Helene looked. It is not yet clear for which project these photos are reserved.
Speaking on ABC’s Good Morning America news show last month, Jill Biden addressed the difficulty of the past few months.
‘It will be difficult to maybe part with it [the White House]she said. ‘We are starting a new chapter of our lives, a new journey. We have been in politics for fifty years. I think we are ready for the new journey.’