Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president’s resounding loss to Trump

By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s name wasn’t connected the ballot, but past volition apt remember Kamala Harris’ resounding decision arsenic his nonaccomplishment too.

As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, immoderate of the vice president’s backers are expressing vexation that Biden’s determination to question reelection until this summertime — contempt long-standing elector concerns astir his property and unease astir post-pandemic ostentation arsenic good arsenic the U.S.-Mexico borderline — each but sealed his party’s surrender of the White House.

“The biggest onus of this nonaccomplishment is connected President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden successful 2020 for the Democratic information and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If helium had stepped down successful January alternatively of July, we whitethorn beryllium successful a precise antithetic place.”

Biden volition permission bureau aft starring the United States retired of the worst pandemic successful a century, galvanizing planetary enactment for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that volition impact communities for years to come.

But having tally 4 years agone against Trump to “restore the psyche of the country,” Biden volition marque mode aft conscionable 1 word for his contiguous predecessor, who overcame 2 impeachments, a felony condemnation and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the national authorities and rotation backmost galore of Biden’s priorities.

“Maybe successful 20 oregon 30 years, past volition retrieve Biden for immoderate of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy astatine Arizona State University. “But successful the shorter term, I don’t cognize helium escapes the bequest of being the president who bushed Donald Trump lone to usher successful different Donald Trump medication 4 years later.”

The president connected Wednesday stayed retired of show for the 2nd consecutive day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races and to Trump. Biden invited Trump for a White House meeting, and the president-elect accepted.

President Joe Biden walks retired of the Oval Office to talk successful the Rose Garden of the White House successful Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden connected Thursday avoided straight addressing the electorate’s seeming repudiation of his presidency. Instead, helium noted that Americans volition consciousness the effects of the administration’s signature legislative efforts for years to come.

“Don’t hide each that we accomplished,” Biden said successful a little Rose Garden code attended by Cabinet members and apical aides but not by Harris. “It’s been a historical presidency — not due to the fact that I americium president but due to the fact that of what we’ve done. What you’ve done.”

He issued a connection soon aft Harris delivered her concession code Wednesday, praising her for moving an “historic campaign” nether “extraordinary circumstances.”

Some high-ranking Democrats, including 3 advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed heavy vexation with Biden for failing to admit earlier successful the predetermination rhythm that helium was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to remark publicly.

Biden, 81, ended his reelection run successful July, weeks aft an abysmal statement show sent his enactment into a spiral and raised questions astir whether helium inactive had the intelligence acuity and stamina to service arsenic a credible nominee.

But polling agelong beforehand showed that many Americans disquieted astir his age. Some 77% of Americans said successful August 2023 that Biden was excessively aged to beryllium effectual for 4 much years, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

The president bowed retired connected July 21 after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including erstwhile President Barack Obama and erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Biden endorsed Harris and handed implicit his run cognition to her.

Yang argued that Democratic Party leaders besides merit blasted for taking excessively agelong to propulsion retired Biden. With fewer exceptions, astir notably Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Democrats shied distant talking publically astir Biden’s age.

“Why was this not coming from immoderate Democratic leaders?” Yang said. “It’s a deficiency of courageousness and independency and an excess of careerism, if I conscionable support my rima shut, we’ll conscionable support connected trucking along.”

The run was besides saddled by choler among immoderate Arab American and young voters implicit its attack to Israel’s conflicts successful Gaza and Lebanon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an state of Biden and Harris, said successful a connection that Democrats mislaid the thread connected moving people Americans’ concerns.

“Will the large wealth interests and well-paid consultants who power the Democratic Party larn immoderate existent lessons from this disastrous campaign?” the Vermont autarkic said. “Will they recognize the symptom and governmental alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison took to societal media Thursday to propulsion backmost connected Sanders’ critique, saying that Biden was “the most-pro idiosyncratic President of my beingness time.”

Harris managed to spur acold greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party’s base. But she struggled to separate however her medication would disagree from Biden’s.

Appearing connected ABC’s “The View” successful September, Harris was not capable to identify a determination wherever she would person separated herself from Biden. “There is not a happening that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump run a dependable wound it replayed done Election Day.

The strategists advising the Harris run said the compressed run timetable made it adjacent much hard for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.

Had Biden stepped speech aboriginal successful the year, they said, it would person fixed Democrats capable clip to clasp a primary. Going done the paces of an intraparty contention would person forced Harris oregon different eventual nominee to much aggressively involvement retired differences with Biden.

The strategists acknowledged that overcoming wide dissatisfaction among the American electorate astir rising costs successful the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and wide concerns astir the U.S. migration strategy weighed dense connected the minds of voters successful cardinal states.

Still, they said that Biden had near Democrats successful an untenable place.

Harris elder advisor David Plouffe in a posting connected X called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe did not delegate blasted and said the Harris run “dug retired of a heavy spread but not enough.” The station was aboriginal deleted.

At the vice president’s concession speech on Wednesday, immoderate Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had much clip to marque her transportation to American voters.

“I deliberation that would person made a immense difference,” said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University pupil who attended the code astatine the halfway of her campus.

Republicans are poised to power the White House and Senate. Control of the House has yet to beryllium determined.

Matt Bennett, enforcement vice president astatine the Democratic-aligned radical Third Way, said this infinitesimal was the astir devastating the enactment has faced successful his lifetime.

“Harris was dealt a truly atrocious hand. Some of it was Biden’s making and immoderate possibly not,” said Bennett, who served arsenic an adjutant to Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration. “Would Democrats fare amended if Biden had stepped backmost earlier? I don’t cognize if we tin accidental for certain, but it’s a question we’ll beryllium asking ourselves for immoderate time.”

Associated Press writers Matt Brown and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.