President Joe Biden confirmed in an interview broadcast Sunday that he will campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, even as nearly 60 percent of voters in the commonwealth disapprove of his performance in the White House.
The 81-year-old president confirmed on CBS Sunday Morning that Americans will see him campaigning for Harris, beginning with a tour of Pennsylvania with Governor Josh Shapiro, who was controversially skipped over by the Harris campaign in favor of Governor Tim Walz.
“I was talking to Governor Shapiro, who is a friend, we have to win Pennsylvania, my original home state.” Biden said, “He and I are putting together a campaign tour in Pennsylvania and I’m going to be campaigning in other states as well.”
Biden also said he speaks with his vice president “frequently,” and added, “I’m going to do whatever Kamala thinks I can do to help most.”
The president’s promise to campaign for Harris in Pennsylvania comes as the Real Clear Politics aggregate of data shows Biden’s job approval is deeply negative in the Keystone State, where just 38.4 percent of voters approve of the administration’s work compared to 58.2 percent who disapprove.
Biden also offered an explanation for his decision to campaign for Harris despite ending his own candidacy for reelection following his devastating June debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
“I had a really, really bad day in that debate because I was sick. But I have no serious problem,” said Biden. When asked about his ability to govern, he stated, “All I can say is watch, that’s all.”
Biden also endorsed Walz’s addition to the Democratic presidential ticket, despite the Minnesota governor facing accusations of misrepresenting his military rank and lying about carrying weapons of war in a warzone.
“By the way, her running mate is a great guy,” said Biden. “He’s real, he’s smart. I’ve known him for several decades.”
The endorsement of Walz’s addition to the ticket comes after an unnamed Harris campaign spokesman acknowledged the governor “misspoke” when claiming he carried a rifle “in war” during a 2018 push for gun control legislation, when the governor claimed his military service gave him unique insight about the Second Amendment.
Senator JD Vance and other veterans have also called into question Walz’s decision to retire ahead of his Army National Guard unit’s deployment to Iraq in 2005, and have argued the governor repeatedly misstated his official rank when campaigning for various offices as a Democrat over a two decade period.
Watch’s Biden’s full interview:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
