Jeffries keeps his powder dry on Harris’s presidential bid
The top House Democrat and his Senate equal are among the remaining high-profile holdouts who have yet to endorse Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign. The answer to why is anyone’s guess.
First Things First
Minutes before 2 p.m. this afternoon, reporters assembled in the hallway around the corner from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)’s suite in anticipation of an formal public endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and her presidential campaign.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had done so moments earlier, adding to her name to the majority of congressional Democrats who had already joined the Harris train. But us news-hungry journalists were disappointed to learn that an endorsement would have to wait until at least after Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer(D-N.Y.) meet with in person.
“I’m excited for that meeting. And let me say this: Vice President Kamala Harris has excited the community, she’s excited to House Democratic Caucus and she's exciting the country,” Jeffries said. “And so I’m looking forward to sitting down with her in person in short order and we’ll have more to say about the path forward.”
I asked the Brooklyn Democrat to clarify how Harris has energized his 211 members and he alluded to the fresh face she brings to the top of the ticket that previously represented one half of the rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
“We’re looking at a frame of change versus status quo, moving the country forward versus Donald Trump and extreme Republicans who want to turn back the clock,” he said before listing the policy contrasts his party shares with the GOP on abortion, the economy and the tax code that would likely exist regardless of who was the Democratic nominee.
Instead of endorsing Harris, Jeffries did what she did at her first public event since announcing her presidential campaign: Offer Biden effusive praise for his nearly 50 years of public service.
“President Biden is a heroic, patriotic, transformational leader who will go down in American history as one of the greatest public servants of all time,” he said. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to President Biden for his tremendous leadership. And I’m also thankful for the incredible partnership that he has had for the last three-and-a-half years with Vice President Harris.
Jeffries is viewed with Pelosi, Schumer and former President Barack Obama as the braintrust that pooled their resources and relationships together to ultimately pressure Biden behind the scenes to drop his candidacy.
Jeffries declined to disclose details about the private conversation he and Biden had in the days leading up to the president’s decision to end his reelection campaign. The top House Democrat also did not comment on whether he ever told Biden that he could hurt Democrats’ chances of taking back the House majority if he stayed in the race.
“I had a private conversation with President Biden to express the perspectives that were wide-ranging of the House Democratic Caucus,” he said. “That conversation will remain private.”
A source familiar with Jeffries’ thinking told me that throughout the process, Jeffries has always distilled the consensus of his caucus.
“While the caucus in many ways does not need to speak for the leader, the leader always speaks for the caucus,” the source added.
The leaders say Biden arrived at his ultimate conclusion on his own but congressional Republicans have exploited the reporting on the backroom maneuvering and the president’s withdrawal as an opportunity to flip the script on Democrats’ pro-democracy messaging.
“Democrat[ic] party bosses just proved that they have absolutely no respect for their own voters,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said in a statement. “After lecturing others about democracy, they just forced Joe Biden off the ticket, trashing the primary choice of 14 million of their own voters.”
Jeffries dismissed the criticism before trolling his colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
“Former President Donald Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans are having a meltdown right now,” he said. “Why? Because their presidential nominee is unpopular, extreme MAGA Republican policies are unpopular—including trying to impose a nationwide abortion ban on the American people—and their Project 2025 is unpopular.”
Fundamentally, Democrats want to let their wonk flags fly and discuss policy, which several members have said is now possible with Biden’s age and fitness for office no longer core considerations for voters.
“Right now, all we want to do as Democrats is have a debate about moving the country forward and continuing to put people over politics,” Jeffries said. “We are going to do everything we need to do as House Democrats to win back control of the House of Representatives and vacate the extreme MAGA Republican majority on November 5.”
MONEY WATCH: The Harris campaign raised $81 million in its first 24 hours, the largest raise in presidential history within that time span. More than 880,000 grassroots donors contributed less than $200. 60 percent of those donors gave for the first time. This is a massive haul for Harris and demonstrates the pent-up enthusiasm Dump Biden Democrats said would pour out with a fresh face at the top of the ticket.
HARRIS STOPS BY CAMPAIGN HQ: The vice president traveled to Wilmington, Delaware this afternoon to meet with the campaign staff she inherited from President Biden when he dropped his bid for reelection.
The headquarters were covered in signs that read “Harris for President,” “Restore Roe” and “Kamala” and the traveling press reported she entered the room to a standing ovation, thunderous applause, with some of the estimated 100-plus staffers breaking out into a chant of “Ka-ma-la.”
President Biden called into an event during VP’s visit to campaign headquarters ahead of the VP’s remarks. Staffers were shocked and some cried. Biden was introduced by Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who managed his campaign.
BIDEN WATCH: President Biden is still self-isolating at home on Rehoboth Beach, Delaware after he got COVID-19.
In a doctor’s note, the president’s physician said his symptoms have almost completely resolved. “His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote. His lungs remain clear.”
A White House official said he received a virtual homeland security briefing and a national security briefing.
OLYMPICS REPORT: The president also announced the full delegations to Paris to attend the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympic Games.
Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) are among the members of Congress who will join First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the opening ceremony on July 26. Los Angeles Mayor and former Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass and Dawn Staley, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of South Carolina and three-time Olympic Women’s Basketball gold medalist, will also be in the delegation.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will lead a delegation to the closing ceremony on August 11 that includes Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.)
The White House said the two presidential delegations to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games will be announced at a later date.
ICYMI
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