Biden and Harris' Relationship Has Taken a Turn for the Worse Since the Election: Report

Tensions between President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses have reportedly grown since Republican Donald Trump’s victory in last month’s election, according to insiders.

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal highlighted that “the post-election rapport among the Bidens and Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, in private settings has at times been frosty, people familiar with their relationship said.”

Sources also revealed, “The first lady hasn’t been a fan of Harris’s since the 2020 election, when she accused Biden in a debate of opposing busing policies that desegregated schools she attended as a young black girl.” This lingering tension reportedly remains, according to those familiar with the two women.

Both Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, and Kirsten Allen, a representative for Harris, have dismissed claims of strained ties between the president and vice president.

“Biden has stressed publicly and privately since the election that he has deep admiration for the campaign Harris ran,” Bates told the Journal.

Despite this, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post both reported that people close to Biden believe he feels he could have defeated Trump himself.

“Biden doesn’t see that as a critique of Harris’s campaign, these people say. He has told people he simply believes that, as the man who stopped Donald Trump in 2020, he could have done it again,” the Journal wrote.

Advisers close to Biden have suggested he might have galvanized white, working-class voters, pointing to his 2020 win as evidence. “Some close advisers have argued he would have mobilized white, working-class voters and point to turnout in his victory in 2020 that bested Hillary Clinton’s in 2016 and Harris’s in 2024,” the report noted.

Biden garnered approximately 81.3 million votes in 2020, surpassing Trump’s 74.2 million. His tally was significantly higher than Clinton’s 65.9 million in 2016 and Harris’s 75 million in 2024. Trump, however, secured victory in November with 77.3 million votes.

Election rules in 2020, adjusted during the COVID pandemic, allowed states like Michigan and Georgia to send mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters, contributing to Biden’s win.

However, Biden’s confidence about a potential win in November was contradicted by polling comparisons between 2020 and 2024.

In 2020, Real Clear Politics’ average polling showed Biden consistently leading Trump by four percentage points or more throughout the year. By contrast, in 2024, Trump maintained a lead, though the gap was smaller. When Biden stepped aside in July, Trump’s advantage was around three percentage points. It’s worth noting that Trump exceeded polling expectations in both 2020 and 2024.

An icy moment between First Lady Jill Biden and Harris was evident during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery last month.

A close-up image showed Jill Biden staring forward with a stern expression while Harris appeared visibly uneasy.

Meanwhile, President Biden warmly greeted Trump at the Oval Office following the latter’s election win last month.

The amicable interaction led to widespread speculation online that Biden may have preferred Trump’s victory over Harris’s.