https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-annoyed-kamala-harris-not-rising-occasion-vp-scared-messing-up-report

 

 

 

Biden annoyed at Kamala Harris for not 'rising to the occasion,' VP scared of 'messing up': report

'I don't think that the president sees her as somebody who takes anything off of his plate,' one former White House official reportedly said

 

President Joe Biden is reportedly frustrated at Vice President Kamala Harris for not "rising to the occasion" as his second-in-command, according to a recent report from Reuters. 

The bombshell story from Reuters included comments from high-ranking officials in the Biden administration who revealed some of president's candid opinions about Harris.  

"If he did not think she was capable, he would not have picked her," one former Biden official told Reuters.

"But it is a question of consistently rising to the occasion," the official said. 

President Joe Biden is reportedly ticked off at Vice President Kamala Harris for failing to "rise to the occasion" as his second-in-command, according to a recent report from Reuters.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A second former official highlighted a "point of tension" between Biden and Harris. 

"I don't think that the president sees her as somebody who takes anything off of his plate," a second former White House official said, adding a "fear of messing up" had caused Harris to be late in joining important political fights, like the ongoing border crisis. 

Biden put Harris in charge of border issues in 2021, but she has notably neglected visiting the border, going only after she took heavy flack in the press and from interest groups. 

The National Border Patrol Council grilled Harris for failing to do her job and protect the border in January. 

"If you were given a job 2 years ago with the explicit goal of reducing illegal immigration, and then you sit around and do nothing while illegal immigration explodes to levels never seen before, you should be fired and replaced. Period," the Council wrote. 

A current administration official acknowledged Harris’ weakness on border issues in comments to Reuters. "She, I think, is smart. She does not see this as a political win for her. Because it's not. It's a really hard issue," the official said. 

Vice President Kamala Harris tours a U.S. Border Patrol Station in El Paso, Texas, on June 25, 2021. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

This is not Harris’ first conflict with Democratic Party heavyweights. CNN reported that Harris stopped receiving Sen. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s phone calls for a time after the Senator seemingly refused to endorse the VP for re-election in 2024.

"I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team," Warren said when asked by a Boston Public Radio interview if Harris should be Biden's running mate in 2024.

"I’ve known Kamala for a long time. I like Kamala. I knew her back when she was an attorney general and I was still teaching, and we worked on the housing crisis together, so we go way back. But they need — they have to be a team, and my sense is they are — I don’t mean that by suggesting I think there are any problems. I think they are."

Warren attempted to call Harris twice to apologize for her comments, according to CNN, but the vice president has not returned her calls.

Warren later tried to correct record, arguing that she was always in full support of Harris. 

"I fully support the president’s and vice president’s reelection together and never intended to imply otherwise," Warren told GBH News. 

"They’re a terrific team with a strong record of delivering for working families."

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly won't return Sen. Elizabeth Warren's calls after she stopped short of endorsing her in 2024.  ((Left:REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)/Right: (REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo))

Biden and Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report. 

Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. 

Story tips can be sent to jeffrey.clark@fox.com.