Joe Biden’s landmark decision to step down on Sunday, July 21, was expected.
Realistically, the President’s chances of beating Republican candidate Donald Trump were slim to none. Failing to clear an already low bar in the CNN presidential debate in June marked the beginning of the end for Biden 2024, while confusing the names of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin – both of whom are at war with each other – was an international embarrassment.
The Democrats knew their fate with Biden was an inevitable defeat; with Vice President Kamala Harris, there’s an (arguably overly) optimistic hope of securing the White House for another four years.
As she is thrust into the presidential spotlight, it’s worth remembering that Harris has ran for the highest office in the land before. In 2019, Harris ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in a year-long campaign. Despite a promising start, Harris’ polling numbers stagnated around 10% before she eventually dropped out in December of that year.
In the wake of Biden’s announcement, social media users shared a clip “that ended Kamala’s first presidential campaign” where Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard criticized her actions as Attorney General of California.
Some on social media took the opportunity to reminisce about Harris’ previous presidential campaign.
Others criticized Harris for her “two-faced” political stance amid fears she may try to “guilt trip” minority voters towards her campaign.
Highlights from her tenure as Vice President were also posted, including her detailed breakdown of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
