President Biden gave a demonstration on Monday that the Democratic Party now belongs to Vice President Kamala Harris, stepping to the microphone at a campaign event in Pittsburgh to introduce his No. 2 rather than taking the speaking slot of honor for himself.
“Folks, we’ve made a lot of progress, and Kamala and I are going to build on that progress, and she’s going to build on it,” Mr. Biden said at a local union hall as he rallied the labor movement in support of Ms. Harris, who stood behind him leading the crowd in applause. “I’ll be on the sidelines, but I’ll do everything I can to help.”
transcript
Folks, we’ve made a lot of progress, and Kamala and I are going to build on that progress, and she’s going to build on it. I’ll be on the sidelines, but I’ll do everything I can to help. She’ll be a historic pro-union president. So folks, we’ve got one more job to do together. Let me ask you: Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to win? Are you ready to elect Kamala Harris our next president of the United States of America? [crowd cheers]
But while the atmosphere between Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden was warm at their first joint campaign appearance, the president hardly seemed eager to take the supporting role. He spoke for more than 24 minutes, roughly eight minutes longer than the vice president’s remarks. And he talked far more about the accomplishments of his administration than Ms. Harris’s role in them or an upcoming election against former President Donald J. Trump that is expected to be razor thin.
When Mr. Biden finally invited the Democratic nominee up to speak, the crowd chanted “Kamala” as they clasped hands before he planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Can we please give it up again for our president, Joe Biden,” Ms. Harris said before delivering a speech that served as a paean both to organized labor and to the Biden administration’s support of unions.