Joe Biden’s brief stint in a Trump 2024 hat ignited a firestorm with Kamala Harris’ campaign. The incident, laid bare in a new book, exposed deep rifts between the president and his vice president. It’s a classic case of loyalty tested and egos bruised.
A new book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson reveals Biden’s hat stunt at a 9/11 event in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as the tipping point for Harris’ campaign to sideline him, as the Daily Mail reports.
Harris, running for president after Biden’s July exit, saw his actions as a betrayal. The book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, paints a picture of mistrust and clashing ambitions.
Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race came with strings attached. He initially resisted endorsing Harris immediately, proposing a week’s delay. His team’s draft statement omitted her endorsement, a move that screamed hesitation.
Harris wasn’t having it. “That open airtime will be filled with speculation,” she warned Biden, per the book, pushing for an immediate endorsement. Twenty-seven minutes after announcing his exit, Biden caved, offering tepid support: “It’s been the best decision I’ve made.”
Even with the endorsement, doubts lingered among Biden’s aides. Some believed Harris couldn’t win, a sentiment that fueled her distrust. She viewed Biden’s team as saboteurs, assigning her toxic issues like the migrant crisis to tank her brand.
Harris guarded her political image fiercely. She often rebuffed Biden’s requests for help, prioritizing her narrative. The campaign’s early days were marked by this tension, setting the stage for the Shanksville debacle.
At the 9/11 commemoration, Biden mingled with firefighters and an elderly Trump supporter. When asked to autograph a Trump 2024 hat, he obliged, then wore it briefly to cheers. The Trump campaign gleefully posted, “Thanks for the support, Joe!”
Harris was livid. “What is he doing? This is completely unhelpful,” she fumed to her team, per the book. The moment cemented her decision to distance her campaign from Biden’s unpredictable antics.
The Harris team pivoted hard, emphasizing her leadership while sidelining Biden. His continued gaffes didn’t help. In October, he told supporters, “We got to lock him up,” referring to Trump, handing Trump’s team ammunition to cry “lawfare.”
Biden’s missteps kept coming. Later that month, he called Trump supporters “garbage,” a remark Trump’s campaign branded an insult to working-class Americans. Trump seized the moment, comparing it to Clinton’s “deplorable” jab while rolling up to a rally in a branded garbage truck. “That’s terrible. Remember Hillary?” Trump quipped at the rally, milking Biden’s blunder. The Harris campaign watched in frustration as Biden’s words overshadowed their messaging. Actions, it seems, have consequences.
From the start, Harris’ team grappled with Biden’s baggage. His eagerness to campaign for her clashed with their strategy to keep him at arm’s length. The Shanksville hat incident was merely the loudest note in a discordant symphony.
The book highlights Harris’ resolve to carve her path. She saw Biden’s team as more hindrance than help, a group more loyal to their boss than to her vision. This mistrust shaped her campaign’s insular approach.
Biden’s hat stunt wasn’t just a gaffe; it was a symbol of his inability to step back. Harris’ team, already wary, used it to justify cutting him out. The move was less about spite and more about survival in a brutal political arena.
The saga underscores a timeless truth: loyalty in politics is a fragile thing. Harris and Biden, once allies, found their ambitions at odds. Tapper and Thompson’s book serves as a stark reminder that even the best-laid plans can unravel when egos collide.
