OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Rumors are flying that some allies of President Joe Biden have suggested replacing Vice President Kamala Harris. The mainstream media has begun pushing this narrative of infighting and a potential 2024 shake-up on the Democratic ticket.
Steve Forbes, the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media, spoke on his podcast “What’s Ahead” and said he thinks the Biden-Harris ticket in 2024 may not happen. Forbes said he believes neither Biden nor Harris will be their party’s nominees for president or vice president in 2024, adding that they have become political liabilities for their party. He went on to offer three reasons why he believes Biden will not be the Democratic nominee.
“Voters are increasingly concerned about his capacity to handle the job, particularly as the country is beset with serious problems at home and abroad,” Forbes said.
Forbes’ second reason was that he believes allegations about Biden’s potential involvement and financial gain from his son and family’s alleged political corruption will create a headache for him to explain.
“Third. The economy is going into rough waters going into 2024. He won’t be able to avoid blame for that,” Forbes said. “A troubled economy ahead makes his boasting tour bizarre, and it will underscore increasingly how out of touch the man and his team have become. Political pundits believe that the hard Left will prevent any serious challenge to the incumbent, but events will force a reckoning.”
In what was perhaps his boldest prediction, Forbes said he believes Biden will step aside and not run for re-election.
“Biden’s approval ratings are shriveling, and the far Left will ditch Joe Biden in order to get a candidate who has a better chance of winning next year and thereby preserving what these extremists have achieved and want to achieve.”
WATCH:
Biden stated over the weekend that he had “already made that calculus” on whether he planned to seek reelection, adding he would make the announcement “relatively soon.”
Biden told a reporter: “I told you my plan is to run again.”
Biden’s recent statement coincides with remarks made previously by the White House and First Lady Jill Biden.
In February, Jill Biden mentioned that her husband is “pretty much” prepared to announce his candidacy for re-election.
“He says he’s not done,” Jill Biden told the AP during a visit to Nairobi. “He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”
Despite numerous reports over the past year that President Joe Biden may move on from his vice president, Kamala Harris, in 2024 due to a range of issues with her and between them, a report published this week said that their band wouldn’t break up ahead of the coming election cycle.
“The first woman vice president is gearing up for another national campaign despite low poll ratings, a failure to win over the Washington establishment, and concern among fellow Democrats about an underwhelming start in the job,” Reuters reported on Thursday. “Harris heads into a high-pressure situation as Biden, now 80, moves toward an unprecedented run for a second term as the first octogenarian in the Oval Office.”
This narrative of Biden replacing Harris on the 2024 ticket is slowly making waves in the media.
In a scathing piece published by The Hill, Douglas MacKinnon suggested that Democrats could be “in a world of hurt” if they don’t “look beyond the current occupants of the White House.”
In a similar piece published by Slate titled, “If Biden Runs Again, He Should Pick a New VP,” Christina Cauterucci noted how “we are stuck with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris” for now but that Biden may be able to “change that” going into 2024.
Capitol Weekly ran a story titled, “Memo to Democrats: Beware of Kamala Harris, in 2024 or beyond,” where Democrat strategist Garry South detailed, “Despite her obvious intelligence, Harris just isn’t very good, I’m sorry to say, either as a candidate or communicator. When it comes to Harris and 2024 – or beyond — Democrats would be wise to bear in mind the old time-honored caution, caveat emptor.”
The Atlantic published a report titled, “20 Reader Ideas for Who Could Replace Biden,” where the outlet compiled a list of potential lawmakers who could replace Biden.
Politico also published a report months ago claiming that “chatter has picked up” about whether Biden will run again in 2024 and if he does, will Harris be his running mate.
In an explosive story from New York Magazine, titled, “There Has to Be a Backup Plan. There’s a Backup Plan, Right? Inside the 2024 soul-searching that’s happening in every corner of the Democratic Party,” author Gabriel Debenedetti discusses how Democrats are facing a reckoning.
Late last year, a CNN report alleged: “That chatter has already reached top levels of the Biden orbit, according to one person who’s heard it.”
