A former aide to Kamala Harris suggests Joe Biden should resign to make way for her presidency
Jamal Simmons, who used to be Kamala Harris’s communications director, proposed a surprising idea for how the vice president could still become president in 2024: if Joe Biden were to resign.
During a discussion on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when asked about key developments to monitor before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in 71 days, panelists including Scott Jennings, Ashley Allison, and Brad Todd mentioned factors such as the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza or Trump’s transition preparations.
Simmons took a different stance, saying that Biden “could resign in the next 30 days to appoint Kamala Harris as the president of the United States.”
“Joe Biden has been an excellent president,” Simmons commented. “He has delivered on many of his promises. There is one last promise he could fulfill—being a transitional leader.”
However, there are currently no signs that Biden is considering stepping down before his term finishes.
Simmons argued that such a move would spare Harris from facing “her own defeat” when the Senate certifies the presidential election results and would draw significant media attention at a time when Democrats need to connect with the public. Harris, as vice president, also presides over the Senate during this process.
Show host Dana Bash remarked that this idea had “transitioned from an internet meme to a Sunday morning discussion.”
Others have humorously suggested that Biden could clear a path for Harris. For instance, Jon Lovett, co-host of “Pod Save America” and a former speechwriter for Barack Obama, quipped that Harris’s loss mean “Jimmy Carter has to stick around for four more years.”
Carter, who has been in hospice care for more than a year, mentioned that he was waiting to vote for Harris.
“There’s still a chance Jimmy Carter might witness a female president before he passes away,” Lovett said, “but that hinges on Joe Biden doing something remarkable.”
On Sunday, Simmons further stated, “This is a pivotal moment to reshape how Democrats function.”
Not all panelists agreed with Simmons’s perspective.
“Jamal, it sounds like you’re scripting a new season of ‘House of Cards,’” Jennings, a former special assistant to George W. Bush, joked, referencing the dramatic political series.
This unconventional suggestion is extremely unlikely to happen.
“This is something Joe Biden can decide,” he continued. “It would honor his promise to serve as a transitional president and give Kamala Harris the opportunity to be the 47th president of the United States.”
“This could throw a wrench in all of Donald Trump’s branding,” he added, alluding to popular Trump merchandise marked with “47.” “He would need to rebrand everything.”
