Report: Biden Has Become Increasingly Annoyed by Kamala Harris for Not ‘Rising to the Occasion’

In late 2021, reports surfaced detailing that tensions between the West Wing and the Harris team had reached an all-time high as insiders described at the time an environment in which White House aides were "worn out" by the American vice president.

US President Joe Biden is reportedly growing increasingly annoyed that his second-in-command refuses to take on more responsibility over a fear of potentially “messing up.”

“A point of tension in their relationship is that I don’t think that the president sees her as somebody who takes anything off of his plate” due to a “fear of messing up,” a former White House official said of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ relationship.

The vice president’s poll ratings are failing despite Biden being sure to choose Harris as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election, should he run again. The American president is 80-years-old and would become the first octogenarian to take on the role; however, if he were to become ill or cannot complete his duties, Harris would take on that responsibility, as has temporarily happened when Biden underwent a medical examination.

According to a recent poll, Harris has a disapproval rating of nearly 50%, while only 38% approve of the vice president.

The former official adds that while Biden and Harris may have a good working relationship overall, the president is confident that neither Harris nor any other Democratic hopeful could beat former President Donald Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee. Trump’s resolve to run for a second non-consecutive term, even in the midst of several ongoing criminal investigations, has reportedly influenced Biden’s decision to run for a second term.

"If he did not think she was capable, he would not have picked her. But it is a question of consistently rising to the occasion," the official added. "I think his running for reelection is less about her and more about him, but I do think that she and the Democratic bench are a factor."

Chris Whipple, author of “The Fight of His Life,” has also confirmed Biden’s private frustrations regarding Harris. In 2021, the president reportedly spoke to a close friend and complained about a comment made by the VP’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, who had protested tasks assigned to Harris that included immigration and federal voting rights.

“Biden was annoyed,” wrote Whipple in his book. “He hadn’t asked Harris to do anything he hadn’t done as vice president — and she’d begged him for the voting rights assignment.

Other Democrats, including those who have worked in the West Wing under the Biden-Harris administration, have also expressed disappointment at Harris’ lack of taking on critical issues. In 2021, Biden placed Harris in charge of US-Mexico border issues; however, Harris neglected to visit the border and only did so after falling victim to criticism from interest groups.

In January, the National Border Patrol Council also called on Harris to fulfill her responsibility for border protection.

"She, I think, is smart. She does not see this as a political win for her. Because it's not. It's a really hard issue," said a current White House official.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has also lost interest in supporting the VP. "I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team," Warren said when asked by a Boston Public Radio interview if Harris should remain by Biden’s side for the 2024 election.

"I’ve known Kamala for a long time. I like Kamala. I knew her back when she was an attorney general and I was still teaching, and we worked on the housing crisis together, so we go way back. But they need — they have to be a team, and my sense is they are — I don’t mean that by suggesting I think there are any problems. I think they are."

Warren later walked back her remarks, although the damage seemed to have been done already. Insider reports suggest the US senator reportedly tried to call Harris in order to apologize, but her call went unanswered twice.