Kamala Harris Could Very Well Someday Be President – And She Says She Is Ready – The vice presidency has been described as being just a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, and it is safe to suggest that few politicians ever “accept” being just the Vice President – and most probably at least think what it would be like to step up if needed.
Such a thought was apparently on the mind of Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, who said in an interview with the Associated Press that she was ready to fulfill her constitutional duty to assume the presidency should President Joe Biden be unable to govern.
“Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition,” Kamala Harris said from Jakarta, Indonesia, where she is attending a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president — understands that when they take the oath they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president,” Kamala Harris continued. “I’m no different.”
Republicans have continued to suggest that given Biden’s age – he would be 86 at the end of his second term – any vote cast for him is essentially a vote for President Harris. That has been a point repeated by GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley.
“A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris you know that and I know that,” Haley said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” last month.
“There is no way Joe Biden is going to finish his term,” the former U.S. ambassador to the UN added in the same TV appearance. “I think Kamala Harris is going to be the next president and that should send a chill up every American’s spine.”
Harris has the dubious distinction of having the worst poll numbers for any vice president in modern history – below even Dick Cheney who critics often compared to Darth Vader of Star Wars fame!
Kamala Harris: The Future Leader?
The prediction that Joe Biden will “be fine” comes with some irony as Harris is representing the United States at the summit in place of Biden, and his absence disappointed some of America’s regional partners. ASEAN’s meeting calendar was specifically aligned with the U.S. president’s travel to the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, in the hopes of securing his attendance.
However, Harris sought to downplay that fact and emphasized that the U.S. remains committed to the Indo-Pacific region – which is increasingly seen as a critical arena for both Washington and Beijing.
“We as Americans, I believe, have a very significant interest, both in terms of our security but also our prosperity, today and in the future, in developing and strengthening these relationships,” said Harris, and later added, “The fact that so many leaders are convening in this one place at the same time to address some of the biggest challenges facing our world is a sign of strength of both the commitment that each nation has to the coalition and the potential for collaboration.”
Harris is expected to attend summit events and hold individual talks with some foreign leaders, but the optics still suggest the event was not enough of a priority for Biden.
“I don’t fault the administration for the choice that they made. It’s just unfortunate that they had to make that choice,” Gregory B. Poling, who directs the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Associated Press.
The news agency also reported that Harris previously visited Singapore and Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, and the Philippines and Thailand.
Strong Partnership With Biden
Harris also told the AP that she maintains a strong partnership with President Biden.
“I see him every day,” said Harris. “A substantial amount of time we spend together is in the Oval Office, where I see how his ability to understand issues and weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can to make smart and important decisions on behalf of the American people have played out. And so I will say to you that I think the American people ultimately want to know that their president delivers. And Joe Biden delivers.”
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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