When Kamala Harris got mad at that Ron DeSantis was playing politics, preparing for Hurricane Milton, you'd expect President Joe Biden would take her side.
But when Biden was asked about the suggestions, he replied: The Florida governor ignored calls from his vice president, gave her no such support, and instead showered praise on the Republican.
Biden told reporters: “All I can say is that I spoke with Governor DeSantis. He was very gracious, he thanked me for everything we did, he knows what we do and I think it's important.
His comments appeared to seriously undermine Harris' position.
Harris was critical of DeSantis after he didn't return calls from her and her team before Milton landed.
On Monday, she accused the governor of “playing political games with this moment,” adding that he had acted “totally irresponsible” and “selfish.”
Meanwhile, Biden has spoken with DeSantis several times about Florida's needs. He also emphasized the depth of their partnership, revealing that he gave the governor his personal cell phone number.
“The governor of Florida cooperated. He said he had everything he needed,” Biden said Tuesday, adding: “I said no, you're doing a great job, it's all done well and we thank you for that.”
The conflicting messages from the White House raise questions about whether Biden is simply doing his job as president or whether he is intentionally stealing the spotlight from the woman who replaced him as the Democratic nominee.
Whatever the reason, it doesn't help Harris' case.
Republicans seized on Biden's words, using them in ads and social media posts against Harris.
In total, the president recently stepped on the vice president four times – twice in connection with the row with DeSantis, once during a hurricane briefing and once by making a surprise appearance at the White House as she was scheduled to make a major announcement during a campaign speech.
“I have no idea if it's intentional or accidental,” University of Vermont professor John Burke told DailyMail.com of Biden's actions. “It certainly doesn't help her campaign.”
President Joe Biden has repeatedly questioned Kamala Harris' campaign message
It can be difficult for presidents to relinquish power, especially if, like Biden, they have worked their entire lives to get to the Oval Office.
Biden had two failed presidential campaigns before winning his third attempt at the 2020 contest. If it weren't for his disastrous performance in the debates, he would now be running for the White House for the fourth time.
As voters, media coverage and attention focus on a new candidate, sometimes a lame-duck leader gets left behind, which can be frustrating, experts note.
Biden's disregard for Harris may stem from that frustration, especially since he was pushed out of the race by party leaders who were concerned about his ability to defeat Donald Trump.
It could also be a simple lack of communication between the White House and the Harris campaign.
“It's inevitable that hiccups occur when the vice president tries to replace the president,” a University of St. Paul professor told DailyMail.com. Louis, Joel Goldstein.
Goldstein, the transition expert, added that “coordination can mitigate such cases, but some of them will occur.”
Biden enthusiastically endorsed Harris and is supporting her candidacy.
But as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted Wednesday: “There is one president at a time.”
Biden has another 100 days in office and has plenty on his plate: two hurricanes, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and a looming battle over the federal budget.
There were several examples last month where Biden, while in office, apparently forgot that he had a successor to promote.
During a briefing on Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, Biden forgot to call Harris and appeared surprised when she called to ask National Weather Service Director Ken Graham a question.
He also addressed his vice president several times, although she was slightly delayed as she joined the briefing virtually.
Kamala Harris accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of playing politics with Hurricane Milton
During a briefing on Hurricane Milton, President Joe Biden forgot to call Vice President Kamala Harris (above left) while talking to federal officials
There were other clear examples of Biden regaining some of the spotlight.
Last week he made the first visit of his presidency to the White House press briefing room.
More importantly, he did so just as Harris was scheduled to deliver a major campaign speech in Detroit.
All cable channels immediately interrupted the president's surprise appearance, and CNN made it clear that it was abandoning Harris in favor of Biden.
“We were actually scheduled to broadcast a live speech from Vice President Kamala Harris, who is currently speaking in Detroit, Michigan,” said CNN anchor Boris Sanchez.
“Apparently she is talking about ending the port strike, trying to appeal to union workers, and yet the President of the United States shows up, clearly overshadowing her, answering pertinent questions,” he continued.
Political strategist Frank Luntz, who was a guest on CNN at the time, noted that if the president and vice president's teams had coordinated, “this wouldn't have happened.”
Republicans are making political use of the president's apparent need for attention.
Trump falsely claimed it showed Biden hated Harris more than him.
The GOP nominee said: “Did you see how he (Biden) held a press conference right in the middle of her one big event that happened in about two weeks?
“He got up and called a press conference,” the former president added incredulously.
Some of the tension may stem from the way Harris campaigned as a change agent, trying to distance herself from the president's administration and curry favor with those who have “Biden fatigue.”
In response, Biden has repeatedly engaged with her.
“There was nothing I did as president that she couldn't do, so I was able to put her in charge of everything from foreign policy to domestic policy,” Biden said in late September on ABC's “The View of Harris.”
This is a common problem for candidates running in the same party as the incumbent president – how to take credit for their achievements while still distinguishing themselves from the occupier of the Oval Office.
Voters want change, and trying to bring it about while remaining loyal to the current leader can be a difficult task.
It wasn't just Biden and Harris who had problems.
Hillary Clinton tried to distinguish herself from Barack Obama and “Obama fatigue” during the 2016 election. In 1988, George H. W. Bush had to deal with the shadow of Ronald Reagan.
President Joe Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris' presidential campaign
But the most infamous example may be Dwight Eisenhower's comment about his then-vice president, Richard Nixon, during the 1960 campaign. Eisenhower was asked to give an example of Nixon's contributions to his administration.
“If you give me a week, maybe I'll think of something,” he replied.
Biden is no stranger to quick jokes and cheap shots. This is often how he expresses his unhappiness with someone.
Shortly after he dropped out of the 2024 race, he was asked about his legacy among LGBTQ Americans.
He pointed to comments he made in 2011 when he was vice president and expressed his support for same-sex marriage. His comments caught then-President Obama off guard at the time.
“Well, I'm really proud of my position,” Biden said. “I was the first guy to speak out in favor of gay marriage. Remember that little problem with the Obama administration?
Many took his words as an attack on the former president, who worked behind the scenes this summer to push Biden out of the presidential race.
Biden may also have felt a twinge of regret for giving up a position of power after working more than 40 years to get there.
“Do you want to reconsider dropping out of the race?” – a reporter asked him on Friday.
Biden, who was leaving the press briefing room, stopped to respond.
“I'm back,” he said with a smile.
It was a joke, but as he watches his vice president run for the job, maybe he actually wants to be one.
