Biden Endorses Vice President Kamala Harris for Presidential Leadership

US President Joe Biden affirmed Vice President Kamala Harris’s qualifications to lead the country during a press conference. He cited her handling of women's rights and overall competence as reasons for his confidence. This endorsement comes amid calls for Biden to step aside ahead of the 2024 election.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday said his deputy, Vice President Kamala Harris, is ''qualified'' to lead the country.

At a high-stake press conference here on Thursday, Biden remarked, "From the very beginning, I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be the president. That's why I picked her." When queried about his reasoning, he elaborated, "Firstly because of the way she's handled the issue of freedom of women's bodies, to have control of their bodies and secondly, her ability to handle almost any issue on the board." Biden added, "This was a hell of a prosecutor. She was a first-rate person and in the Senate, she was really good. I wouldn't have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be the president."

Harris, 59, is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected as US Vice President in 2020.

Biden's comments on Harris came amidst growing calls for the 81-year-old to step aside from the race for the White House in November, following a faltering performance in a TV debate against his Republican rival Donald Trump last month.

The president mistakenly referred to Kamala Harris as former president Trump during the press conference. He said, "I wouldn't have picked Trump to be the vice president, did I think she was not qualified to be president…." "The fact is that the consideration is that I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again," Biden stated.

"It's not unusual for senators and congressmen running for office to worry about the ticket. And I might add, there were at least five presidents running or incumbent presidents who had lower numbers than I have now later in a campaign," he noted.

With a long campaign season still ahead, Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party candidate, concluded, "So, there's a long way to go in this campaign and so I'm just going to keep moving."

(With inputs from agencies.)