White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki weighed in on Vice President Kamala Harris’s sinking poll numbers.
She tweeted Sunday, “For anyone who needs to hear it. [Vice President Kamala Harris] is not only a vital partner to [President Biden] but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country — from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.”
For anyone who needs to hear it. @VP is not only a vital partner to @POTUS but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country—from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) November 15, 2021
Psaki’s tweet came on the same day CNN published an article titled, “Exasperation and dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris’ frustrating start as vice president.”
CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jasmine Wright write, “Interviews with nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers — who spoke extensively to CNN — reveal a complex reality inside the White House.”
They continued:
“Many in the vice president’s circle fume that she’s not being adequately prepared or positioned, and instead is being sidelined. The vice president herself has told several confidants she feels constrained in what she’s able to do politically. And those around her remain wary of even hinting at future political ambitions, with Biden’s team highly attuned to signs of disloyalty, particularly from the vice president.”
Senior adviser and chief spokesperson for Harris, Symone Sanders, appeared to respond to the report in a statement.
She wrote:
“It is unfortunate that after a productive trip to France in which we reaffirmed our relationship with America’s oldest ally and demonstrated U.S. leadership on the world stage, and following passage of a historic, bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create jobs and strengthen our communities, some in the media are focused on gossip — not on the results that the President and Vice President have delivered.”
Let me reiterate: pic.twitter.com/zAxoXkFyQu
— SDS (@SymoneSanders46) November 14, 2021
A USA TODAY and Suffolk University poll found last week Harris’ approval rating stands at 28%. As Politico notes, her approval rating is lower than former Vice President Dick Cheney’s, who was labeled as the least popular vice president in the nation’s modern history.