President Joe Biden will not attend Vice President Kamala Harris‘s election night watch party in another sign that her campaign is keeping the incumbent at arm’s length.
“Tonight, the president and First Lady will watch election results in the White House residence with longtime aides and senior White House staff,” a White House official told the Washington Examiner. “The president will receive regular updates on the state of races across the country.”
Harris is hosting a watch party at her alma mater, Howard University, which is located less than 2 miles from the executive mansion, but her boss will not be among the attendees.
The relationship between Biden and Harris has appeared strained throughout the election, with her seeking to distance herself from the administration by promising to “turn the page” and usher in a “new way forward.” Another slogan, “We are not going back,” further cements the image she wants to cast as an agent of change.
Yet she still owes her status as vice president to Biden, who chose her for the position in 2020 and who endorsed her to be the Democratic nominee immediately after dropping out.
Biden has done some limited campaigning for Harris this fall, an effort that has produced a number of awkward moments and gaffes.
The president donned a Trump hat in September and overshadowed what was supposed to be Harris’s big closing argument speech last week by calling Trump supporters “garbage” just before it began.
Neither Harris nor former President Donald Trump is doing much campaigning on Tuesday. Harris will participate in radio interviews for stations in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin before heading off to the results party.
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Trump will spend the day in Florida, where he is a resident. He has said he plans to vote in person on Election Day. He will host a watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center.
Biden has no events listed on his public schedule for Election Day.