During Monday’s White House press conference, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to name a specific policy achievement when asked about Vice President Kamala Harris’ accomplishments while serving alongside President Joe Biden.
A reporter inquired, “Given that they’ve worked so closely together in that time, what does the president see as the vice president’s biggest achievement during their time in office together?”
Jean-Pierre responded, “Because they’ve been partners, those achievements have been done — certainly, those historic, unprecedented achievements have been done together.
The president believes in the vice president’s leadership, her temperament, her experience. He has said this himself: One of the proudest decisions that he made in 2020 was selecting her as vice president because he believed that she could go on day one. And you’ve seen that — you’ve seen them do that together on day one of this administration.”
Jean-Pierre avoided naming a specific achievement, instead emphasizing Harris’ role as a “critical partner” to Biden. “I’m not going to parse out anything from here.
They have been partners. She’s been a critical partner for this president during this term and will continue to do so. You will see them together on Thursday in Maryland where they will talk about their next announcement on lowering costs for the American people.”
When pressed by the reporter for a specific policy achievement, Jean-Pierre replied, “I would say it’s a comprehensive whole. The Biden-Harris accomplishments are the Biden-Harris accomplishments.
She’s played a role, whether it is being on the floor of the Senate, getting really important legislation to pass through, or being in the room with the president on trying to figure out how to move forward strategically with a policy or how to make tough decisions on behalf of the American people. She’s been there.”
Jean-Pierre added that Harris has been a “critical partner” throughout Biden’s term, contributing to what she described as “historic” moments during their time in office.
Harris has faced criticism for her role as the administration’s “border czar,” a position that has seen record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border since Biden took office in 2021. Despite being assigned to address the border crisis, Harris instead focused on visiting Guatemala to address the “root causes” of illegal immigration. In an August rally, Harris acknowledged, “We know our immigration system is broken, and we know what it takes to fix it.”
Additionally, Harris has been criticized for copying a policy from former President Donald Trump. At an August rally, she announced her intention to “eliminate taxes on tips for hospitality and service utility workers” if elected— a plan Trump had unveiled months earlier.