"Worse, I often learned that the president's staff was adding fuel to negative narratives that sprang up around me. One narrative that took a stubborn hold was that I had a "chaotic" office and unusually high staff turnover during my first year. ... when the stories were unfair or inaccurate, the president's inner circle seemed fine with it. Indeed, it seemed as if they decided I should be knocked down a little bit more."
"Their thinking was zero-sum: If she's shining, he's dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. That given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands. My success was important for him."
Kamala Harris experienced suspicion from the Biden team, partly due to normal president–vice president dynamics and a 2019 primary debate confrontation over federally mandated school busing. The White House communications operation rarely promoted her accomplishments or defended her against inaccurate attacks, while senior aides sometimes added fuel to negative narratives about a "chaotic" office and high staff turnover. Rising poll numbers for Harris exacerbated tensions as aides treated her popularity as zero-sum with President Biden, failing to recognize that visible vice presidential success could reassure voters about presidential judgment and readiness. Harris considered whether she should have urged Biden not to run.
Read at Intelligencer
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