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Biden reflects on 1st year in office, touts accomplishments amid COVID-19 pandemic
President Joe Biden delivers remarks ahead of his one-year anniversary in office, one filled with many highs and lows for his administration.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden has confirmed that he plans to have Vice President Kamala Harris be his running mate in 2024.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the end of his first year in the White House Biden did not hesitate to express his support for Harris.
"She's going to be my running mate. I think she's doing a good job," he said.
Back in November, 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Biden will be running for re-election in 2024.
RELATED: Biden's 1st year in office: A look at administration's accomplishments, stumbles
Biden’s confirmation of Harris as his future running mate comes as the president put the full weight of his presidency behind voting rights action last week, heading to Capitol Hill in an effort to push Democrats to change Senate rules to pass legislation.
But Harris — whom Biden tapped to take the lead on passing voting rights legislation in June — wasn’t there.
Both White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Harris aides had no clear answer when asked why the vice president didn’t join Biden in the meeting.
It was yet another example of the difficulty Harris has faced throughout her first year in office, as she’s struggled to define herself and her role.
Harris has grappled with an expansive portfolio of difficult assignments, fielded questions about her relationship with the president and faced what allies say is unprecedented scrutiny for a vice president — without, some worry, adequate support from the White House.
And she’s navigated all that within the constraints of a global pandemic and a duty to act as the tie-breaking vote in an evenly-divided Senate that have restricted her ability to travel beyond Washington.
The confirmation follows concern by some Democratic leaders over Biden’s political standing.
The president began the news conference by reeling off early successes on coronavirus relief and a bipartisan infrastructure deal. But his economic, voting rights, police reform and immigration agenda have all been thwarted in a Democratic-controlled Senate, while inflation has emerged in the past year as an economic threat to the nation and a political risk for Biden.
Despite his falling approval numbers, Biden claimed to have "probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen" in a country still coping with the coronavirus.
"After almost two years of physical, emotional and psychological impact of this pandemic, for many of us, it’s been too much to bear," Biden said. "Some people may call what’s happening now ‘the new normal.’ I call it a job not yet finished. It will get better."
Still, it is a perilous time for Biden: The nation is gripped by another disruptive surge of virus cases, and inflation is at a level not seen in a generation. Democrats are bracing for a potential midterm rout if he can’t turn things around.
This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed.