Vice President Kamala Harris just admitted that, if President Joe Biden wants to win his reelection in 2024, he is going to have to "earn" it.
This is being taken as a rare admission, from a member of the Biden administration, that, heading into 2024, things are not looking as good for Biden as Biden often claims.
Harris made the admission during a recent phone interview with CNN. The interview, according to the outlet, took place just after Harris made a trip to South Carolina to sign Biden up for the Democratic primary.
"We’re going to have to earn our reelect, there’s no doubt about it," Harris reportedly said.
It is not often that Harris says something that is right, but she is certainly right about the fact that Biden has an uphill battle heading into 2024. What is just as unexpected - or is perhaps even more unexpected - is that CNN also admits it.
The outlet reports, "Polling nationally and in battleground states alike suggests the president, who turns 81 on Monday, is weak with young voters, as well as with Black and other voters of color."
The one thing that Biden does not appear to have to worry about is the 2024 Democratic presidential primary. Real Clear Politics currently has Biden beating his rivals, on average, by over 64 percentage points.
But, it is not easy to find other polls that are in Biden's favor, whether they are hypothetical 2024 polls or polls that focus on the current state of affairs.
In terms of hypothetical 2024 polls, Real Clear Politics, for example, has former President Donald Trump beating Biden, on average, by 1.6 percentage points. Significant is the fact that Trump's lead has only been growing. And, it is also worth pointing on that, on some individual polls, Trump has more than a five percentage point lead on Biden.
Polling regarding the current state of affairs is probably even worse for Biden than hypothetical 2024 polling.
Biden's approval rating, on average, is only 40%, and it dips down into the 30s on several individual polls. Over 66%, on average, say that America is heading in the wrong direction under Biden's leadership. And, Biden has a less than 50% approval rating on his handling of just about all relevant issues.
On top of all of this, there is the fact that Biden has chosen to stick with Harris as his running mate for 2024.
Harris has proven to be one of the least popular vice presidents in recent history. Currently, her approval rating, on average, is only 36.5%. Some have suggested that the prospect of a Harris presidency, should Biden not be able to serve out his term, is already enough to deter some people from voting for Biden.
So, as Harris correctly put it, she and Biden really are going to have to "earn" their reelection in 2024.
