The White House wants to put out fires related to rumors Vice President Kamala Harris could replace Joe Biden as president before the end of his term. At 81 Biden is the oldest president in history. His falls and repeated episodes in which he has seemed aloof or made comments about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Iraq - and of course a recent press conference that was a disaster. That has contributed to the perception he is not up to his job.

Harris’s perceived incompetence has also become so much of a punchline that former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned his colleagues that impeaching Joe Biden meant getting Harris.

"The only short-term consequence of a successful impeachment is [Vice President] Kamala Harris [becoming president], and Kamala would be such a total disaster for the country that Biden's corruption is probably preferable to her incompetence," Gingrich told The Washington Post in July.

White House Dismisses Concern About Kamala Harris Ability

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients dismissed concern about Harris’s ability to become president should anything happen to Biden during a recent interview with The Atlantic.

“Well, I want to, you know, make sure we’re not talking about anything — but, you know, she’s prepared,” Zients said.

Harris has had trouble with her leadership skills and has been plagued by turnover in her office.

Her past staffers have called her a “bully” and a “soul-destroying” boss.

Another White House official who spoke on background told “The Atlantic” that Harris is the closest person to the presidency and that criticisms about her were not relevant. Harris’s current approval rating according to FiveThirtyEight stands at 37% and the disapproval rating is at 53%.

“People who are polling near the bottom do things and say things to try and be relevant and get oxygen," the official said.

New York Mayor Gives Harris Cold Shoulder

Kamala Harris has furthered the perception she is unqualified for the vice presidency let alone the presidency through her failure to take charge of the role Joe Biden appointed her to as border czar. Her inability and unwillingness to show leadership resulted in criticism from New York Mayor Eric Adams last spring.

Adams could not contain his disdain for Harris during her visit to New York for 9/11 commemorations. He appeared visibly cold toward her.

Kamala Harris Acts as Campaign Point Person on Abortion

She spoke at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) meeting in St. Louis, Mo., last year at which she dismissed polling showing her and Joe Biden either tied or trailing former President Donald Trump.

"We're going to win,” Harris told a crowd in the Marriott hotel’s Majestic Ballroom. “All these pundits will talk about polling, polling, polling. Okay, fine. Let's talk about that. What we did on the climate crisis? I think 80% popularity. Capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month? Everyone loves that.”

Harris has become the administration’s point person on issues including gun control and abortion.

“Since the Dobbs decision came down, every day in our country people are silently suffering,” she said. "So on this point about ‘no exception,’ this means the policy proposal is essentially that after someone has survived a crime of violence to their body, a violation to their body, that they cannot have the authority to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral. It’s wrong.”

She might be good for speaking to Democratic Party activists; however, when it comes to governing she could have problems.  

About the Author 

John Rossomando is a defense and counterterrorism analyst and served as Senior Analyst for Counterterrorism at The Investigative Project on Terrorism for eight years. His work has been featured in numerous publications such as The American Thinker, The National Interest, National Review Online, Daily Wire, Red Alert Politics, CNSNews.com, The Daily Caller, Human Events, Newsmax, The American Spectator, TownHall.com, and Crisis Magazine. He also served as senior managing editor of The Bulletin, a 100,000-circulation daily newspaper in Philadelphia, and received the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors first-place award for his reporting.