President Joe Biden expressed doubts about Vice President Kamala Harris' chances of defeating Donald Trump in the election.
The 81-year-old president ultimately decided to drop his own re-election campaign and endorsed his running mate on Sunday, but three aides familiar with discussions about his plans told Axios that Biden and his senior advisers are worried that Harris isn't up to the challenge of taking on the Republican nominee.
"Harris' time as vice president has been occasionally rocky, defined in part by large staff turnover, retreating from politically risky responsibilities, and mocking from some Beltway insiders," Axios reported. "Much of Harris' staff has turned over in the past three-and-a-half years. About half of the vice president's staff is paid by the Senate, which requires regular disclosures. Of the 47 Harris staffers listed in 2021, only five still worked for her as of this spring, according to the disclosures. Her full staff list is not publicly disclosed."
By contrast, Biden kept 17 of his 38 aides over the same period as vice president during Barack Obama's first term, and some of Harris' former aides told the website that she's too tough on her staff.
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"Some former aides said Harris had high standards that some did not want to keep up with, but others felt that she frequently grilled them the way she grilled Trump officials, such as then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, when she represented California in the U.S. Senate," Axios reported. "Former aides often refer to it as Harris' 'prosecuting the staff.'"
Biden aides recalled during the 2020 campaign that Harris interrogated her then-chief of staff Karine Jean-Pierre, now the White House press secretary, in a way that made others uncomfortable.
Biden and many other prominent Democrats quickly endorsed Harris, but former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and Obama have not yet done so.
