Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview Wednesday that she is prepared to fulfill her “oath” and “take over the job of being president” if President Joe Biden is unable to complete a second term.
Biden is currently 80 years old and will turn 81 in November. If elected in 2024, Biden would be over 82 years old prior to his second inauguration. With questions concerning the president’s age and health continuing to overshadow the 2024 presidential race, Harris was asked whether she was prepared to step into the role of president if Biden reached the point where he was unable to carry out his duties as president.
In response to the question, Harris insisted that the prospect of taking over Biden’s role as president was merely “hypothetical” and would not be necessary. However, she explained that she is prepared to fulfill her oath of office.
“Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition,” Harris told The Associated Press during Wednesday’s interview. “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. I’m no different.”
Despite a recent AP/NORC poll revealing that 77% of Americans, including 69% of Democrats, believe Biden is too old to serve a second term in the White House, Harris dismissed the concerns during Wednesday’s interview with The Associated Press.
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“I see him every day,” Harris said. “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.”
Harris said that she believes the American people “ultimately want to know” that the president of the United States can deliver results for them. She added, “Joe Biden delivers.”
The vice president’s comments come after an NBC News poll showed that Harris currently has the lowest vice presidential rating in the history of the poll, which showed that only 32% of voters have a “positive view” of the vice president, while 49% of voters have a “negative view” of Harris and 39% have a “very negative view.”
