Vice President Kamala Harris is gathering information on President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign in an effort to help turn things around as the sitting president trails former President Donald Trump in hypothetical matchups, more than two dozen sources told CNN.
Biden is trailing Trump in several swing states by as many as 11 points ahead of the 2024 election, according to a Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey. As some of Biden’s top allies voice concerns over the president’s reelection chances, Harris is talking to staffers to try to “penetrate” the “bubble of Biden campaign thinking,” sources told CNN. (RELATED: ‘Really Strange’: Some Voters Are ‘Unsatisfied’ With Kamala Harris, Wondering Where She Is Ahead Of 2024)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 11: (L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk back to the Oval Office after an event about gun violence in the Rose Garden of the White House April 11, 2022 in Washington, DC. Biden announced a new firearm regulation aimed at reining in ghost guns, untraceable, unregulated weapons made from kids. Biden also announced Steve Dettelbach as his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“The ‘bedwetting’ complaints are running thin with people,” a person who attended a meeting of anxious Democrats worried about the campaign told CNN. “The West Wing and the campaign need to be better.”
ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 02: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a ‘First In The Nation’ campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 02, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The vice president continues campaigning across the state ahead of the February 3 primary election. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Among concerns of how the Biden campaign is performing, Harris has done well in fielding the criticism, the person told CNN, adding that the vice president “deserves credit for it.” Those who have had conversations with Harris about the state of the campaign told CNN that it has shifted their view of the vice president, and she is viewed as a crucial part of the reelection effort.
US Vice President Kamala Harris waves after landing at the airport as she arrives for the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany on February 15, 2024. (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)
While Harris’ effort isn’t seen as her going behind the campaign’s back, she is worried that Biden will lose “to the couch” rather than Trump, two dozen sources told CNN. As Harris continues to gather information on the campaign, the vice president is reportedly asking her staff to set up additional meetings so she can get a better feel as to what is going wrong within the reelection efforts.
(L-R) First lady Jilly biden, U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff join hands as they depart a ”Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally” at George Mason University on January 23, 2024 in Manassas, Virginia. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Recently, Harris conducted a meeting with campaign staff where she pushed them for answers on polling and data that has been coming in about the state of the race, sources told CNN.
MANASSAS, VIRGINIA – JANUARY 23: U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stand onstage and wave to the crowd at a ”Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally” at George Mason University on January 23, 2024 in Manassas, Virginia. During the first joint rally held by the President and Vice President, Biden and Harris spoke on what they perceive as a threat to reproductive rights. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“By the way, we’re gonna win,” Harris says as she ends conversations, according to CNN.
While Harris reportedly addresses problems within the Biden reelection campaign, she also has duties around the White House. Just before the end of 2023, Harris announced that she would be traveling the country in 2024 to tout access to abortion. Harris was also tasked with solving the root causes of the migration crisis from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in 2021.
MANASSAS, VIRGINIA – JANUARY 23: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a ”Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally” at George Mason University on January 23, 2024 in Manassas, Virginia. During the first joint rally held by the President and Vice President, President Joe Biden and Harris spoke on what they perceive as a threat to reproductive rights. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
As the Biden administration has scrambled to get the southern border under control, Harris has said her duties start and end with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people familiar with the issue told Axios.