Biden’s viral video wearing Trump hat allegedly angers Kamala Harris
Former Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly expressed frustration when a video of President Biden wearing a Trump 2024 hat surfaced in September 2024, as outlined in Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book. The video, showing Biden at the Shanksville Fire Station in Pennsylvania, indicated a friendly gesture of unity, with Biden receiving the Trump 2024 campaign hat from a Trump supporter and placing it atop his head. Despite the White House’s characterization of the act as an attempt to foster goodwill, Harris questioned its necessity and impact, asking her team, “What is he doing?” in reaction to the viral clip.
Subsequently, the video became the last public event featuring both Biden and Harris before the election, as detailed in the book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.” This event marked an occurrence where Harris distanced herself from Biden’s actions due to its perceived negative implications.
Further exacerbating tensions, Biden’s derogatory remarks about Trump supporters labeled them as “garbage” during a campaign call for Harris. His disparaging characterizations of Trump’s campaign rally and the Puerto Rican community caused outrage, with Biden asserting that Trump’s supporters were the real “garbage” and condemning the demonization of Latinos as un-American. Harris, seeking to disassociate herself from such divisive rhetoric, clarified her stance on representing all individuals regardless of their political affiliations, emphasizing her commitment to inclusivity in public service.
Additionally, the book revealed various missteps in Biden’s 2024 campaign efforts, such as the filming of campaign videos that were ultimately deemed unfit for public consumption due to the President’s challenges in responding to off-the-cuff questions. Despite initial attempts to simulate grassroots engagement by staging a town hall-style event, it became apparent that Biden’s performance hindered the campaign’s message. Factors like poor lighting were initially cited as issues affecting the video’s quality, but the book pointed to Biden’s own struggles as the primary obstacle to creating impactful campaign content.
In light of these revelations, it becomes evident that Harris and Biden’s working relationship faced strains due to missteps and miscommunications, ultimately impacting their public image and electoral strategies leading up to the election. The tense dynamic between the former Vice President and President underscores the inherent challenges of political partnerships and the complexities of managing conflicting viewpoints within a shared political framework.