Joe Biden was riding aboard Air Force One with civil rights leaders last week when he made an odd comment about being ‘replaced’ by Kamala Harris as a candidate.
‘Kamala and I talked,’ Biden remarked as the sounds of cable news pundits attempting to predict Harris’ running mate blared in the background. ‘I said she could pick me.’
After a brief, possibly awkward, pause – Biden admitted that he was joking.
The moment of levity occurred before Biden’s first public appearance since he dropped out of the race, according to The Washington Post.
When he landed in Austin, Texas, Biden was met with uproarious applause, upon resurfacing after what many pegged as a career-ending chain of events.
Now Harris is the heir apparent – a fact that Biden has seemingly taken in stride despite showing hesitance initially.
Joe Biden is reportedly already cracking jokes about being ‘replaced’ by Kamala Harris as a candidate
Harris, seen here in Houston Thursday, is now the heir apparent – a fact that Biden has seemingly taken in stride despite showing hesitance initially
‘I didn’t sense any regret at all,’ said Al Sharpton, who had been aboard the plane at the time.
‘He’s made his decision. He’s at peace with it,’ Sharpton continued. ‘I sensed a man at peace with where he is and trying to move forward.’
‘He is reflecting,’ added National Urban League boss Marc Morial, who accompanied Biden all day Monday.
‘He’s in a reflective mood,’ he went on.
‘It’s very natural and very human to be in such a reflective mood after such a long and unique career.
‘Try to think of who has had a career of such length and breadth,’ he continued, referencing how the politician assumed his post on the New Castle County Council in Delaware way back in 1970
‘I have trouble thinking of anyone else, because he got elected so young,’ he said.
‘Kamala and I talked,’ Biden reportedly remarked last Monday as analysts on an AIr Force One TV bickered about who Harris will choose as a running mate. ‘I said she could pick me’
The Washington Post spoke to several who had been aboard the plane at the time, including civil rights leader Al Sharpton, who was seated to Biden’s right. He is seen here in Houston shortly after with Harris, whom Biden has held no grudges against, he said
‘He is reflecting,’ added National Urban League boss Marc Morial, who was with Biden all day Monday. ‘ He’s in a reflective mood’. Both marveled at his ability to crack jokes after being essentially replaced
That career will inevitably come to a close in six months when a new candidate takes the reins, as Biden continues to come to terms with the situation.
Those close to the president told the Post that process has been surprisingly streamlined, as Democrats champion Harris to challenge Trump, with Biden himself offering his official endorsement.
Big names like the Obamas have followed suit, and the vice president’s burgeoning campaign is quickly picking up steam.
This week, CBS News obtained a firsthand account from Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who was there when Air Force One landed in his city Monday.
He was the third person who greeted Biden on the tarmac, after weeks earlier becoming the first sitting Democrat to beg him to drop his reelection bid.
‘Thank you for suggesting it,’ Biden reportedly told him, in a non-combative tone as Doggett thanked him for bowing out.
Rep. James E. Clyburn, one of Biden’s biggest political allies, also spoke favorably of how the commander-in-chief is doing, revealing the 81-year-old is already looking to the future.
Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett recalled this week how upon greeting Biden Monday, he was thanked by the president – after the congressman earlier this week became the first sitting Democrat to ask him to bow out of the race
Rep. James E. Clyburn, one of Biden’s biggest political allies, also spoke favorably of how the commander-in-chief is doing, revealing the 81-year-old is already looking to the future
‘He was particularly focused on where to go from here,’ the South Carolina rep told The Post of Biden’s attitude Monday on Air Force One.
‘Martin Luther King’s last book was Where Do We Go From Here, Chaos or Community? That’s pretty much where we are today,’ he continued.
‘Are we going to have chaos going forward or community going forward? That’s what’s on the president’s mind more than anything else.’
‘I think he’s looking at these six months as determined to prove his legacy by winning this election and being able to finish things he started,’ Sharpton added.
‘I definitely think he’s now seeing himself in historic terms rather than tomorrow’s newspaper or this evening’s TV show.’
The election, as of writing, is 96 days away. As of Thursday, Harris – not yet the official Democrat nominee – has yet to declare a running mate.