On July 19, Vice President Harris visited an ice cream shop in Washington. On Saturday, she spoke about LBGTQ rights at a fundraiser in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
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Nathan Howard/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
PROVENCETOWN, Mass./Rehoboth Beach, Del. — Vice President Harris returns to the campaign trail this weekend to raise money for the Biden-Harris ticket on Cape Cod, while President Biden Absent due to coronavirus cases at Delaware beach house.
In a large tent near the port, hundreds of Democratic donors cheered and waved to fans emblazoned with “Veeptown.” .
Harris focused on former President Donald Trump’s policies that rolled back discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in health care, employment and students, as well as his ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, “will undoubtedly be a rubber stamp for Trump’s extremist anti-LGBTQ agenda,” she said, citing his proposed legislation banning gender-affirming care. This prompted a cry of “Get ’em, Kamala!” From a donor.
Vice President Harris visits a new ice cream shop opened by supermodel Tyra Banks and her nieces and nephews in Washington, D.C., on July 19, 2024.
Erin Schaaf/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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Erin Schaaf/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Biden sidelined, Harris in focus
The fundraiser comes at a time when the future of Biden’s campaign is in question. A disastrous debate against Trump three weeks ago sparked a growing chorus of calls from Democratic officials and donors for the 81-year-old Biden to end his reelection bid and let a younger candidate take over. Biden insists he will remain in the race.
Harris has not participated publicly in the debate and did not mention it in her speech in Provincetown. She praised Biden, saying she was “proof” that he fought for “everyday working Americans.”
But some lawmakers calling for Biden to step down have been testifying that Harris should be the most likely candidate.
On Saturday, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., called her a “tenacious prosecutor” with experience defeating Trump. “Joe, I love you and respect you. But the stakes are too high to fail. It’s time to pass the torch to Kamala,” Takano said in a statement.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who stopped short of calling on Biden to drop out of the race, said Harris would unite the party if Biden changes his mind and praised her work on economic issues and abortion rights. . “Look, if you’re dealing with a convicted felon, a prosecutor like Kamala is a really good choice,” Warren told MSBNC.
President Biden exited Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware after he had to withdraw from the campaign trail after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Manuel Balce Seneta/Associated Press/Associated Press
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Manuel Balce Seneta/Associated Press/Associated Press
Biden says he will return to campaign trail this week
Biden has been pushing back against concerns about his age and ability, holding a series of events in swing states as well as separate news conferences and several interviews. But that stopped when he tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
His doctor said in a memo on Saturday that Biden’s symptoms are improving, although he still has a cough. Since the end of the Republican National Convention, Democratic calls for Biden to step down have accelerated.
Campaign spokesman Michael Taylor told reporters on Saturday that the president would return to the campaign trail next week once he is cleared by doctors.
