Kamala Harris applauds Biden’s ‘unmatched’ legacy in first remarks since presidential endorsement

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday used her first public appearance since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race to compare him favorably with his predecessors and praise his record.

Harris, who spoke on the White House’s South Lawn while standing in for Biden at an event to honor NCAA championship teams from this past collegiate athletic season, told attendees that the president, who is still in Delaware undergoing treatment for Covid-19, wanted to be at the event but is “feeling much better and recovering fast,” and said he “looks forward to getting back on the road.”

She also called Biden’s “legacy of accomplishment” during their three and a half years in office one that was, in her words, “unmatched in modern history.”

“In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office,” she said.

Harris recalled how she’d first met Biden through his late son, Beau, while he was serving as Delaware’s attorney general and she was serving as California’s.

She said Beau often spoke of his father in glowing terms, adding that the qualities Biden’s late son “revered in his father” are the same ones she has seen in Biden “every day” during their time serving together, including “his honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big heart and his love, deep love of our country.”

“And I am first hand witness that every day our President, Joe Biden, fights for the American people, and we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation,” she added.

The vice president’s remarks were her first on-camera comments since Biden made the shock decision to exit the presidential race nearly a month after his poor debate performance