An Axios report alleged Sunday that there is growing tension and miscommunication between the White House and the Harris campaign.
National political correspondent Alex Thompson reported “many senior Biden aides remain wounded by the president being pushed out of his re-election bid and are still adjusting to being in a supporting role on the campaign trail.”
“They’re too much in their feelings,” one Harris ally reportedly told Axios about the White House.
Thompson wrote the main issue with some Harris campaign members is that White House aides “aren’t sufficiently coordinating Biden’s messaging and schedule to align with what’s best for the vice president’s campaign.”
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Thompson cited recent conflicts such as President Biden holding an impromptu press conference on Friday while Vice President Kamala Harris was attending an event in Michigan.
Another notable incident included Biden complimenting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for handling recent hurricanes shortly after Harris criticized DeSantis for not taking her calls. Thompson wrote a person familiar with the situation said Biden wasn’t briefed on Harris’ comments before praising DeSantis.
“The White House is lacking someone in the room thinking first and foremost about how things would affect the campaign,” a Harris aide told Thompson.
Despite “sore feelings” among some Biden aides, the report added that most of them are “actively rooting” for Harris to win. However, there is ongoing tension with some White House staffers transitioning to the Harris campaign, particularly Biden aides who feel “they’ve been labeled as disloyal by Biden’s team for leaving or even considering it.”
“On Harris’ campaign, there’s also awkwardness between some who were on Biden’s original campaign staff and the Harris allies who’ve been installed in recent weeks,” Thompson wrote. “In the weeks after Harris became the Democratic nominee, there were squabbles about whether Biden’s main surrogates on television would continue in those roles or if new faces would emerge, two people familiar with the matter told Axios.”
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In a comment to Fox News Digital, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said, “President Biden endorsed Vice President Harris immediately after leaving the race, rejecting other approaches that would divide the party, and has attested to her leadership abilities and continually made clear his support for her.”
“While ensuring that all critical White House functions are fully staffed, we have made significant changes to guarantee the Vice President’s team has all of the support and resources that they need. This builds on a strong, trusting relationship between both teams, which has been critical to successfully executing an unprecedented transition to a new candidate,” Bates concluded.
The Harris campaign has yet to respond to a request for comment.
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