A new book claims Vice President Kamala Harris asked West Wing staffers to stand up when she enters the room, as they do for President Joe Biden.
"This Will Not Pass" authors Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, who are both New York Times reporters, appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday to discuss the book, which focuses on lingering issues between Harris and Biden's staff.
Host Chuck Todd noted, "Here's one anecdote you have: 'Harris worried that Biden's staff looked down on her; she fixated on real and perceived snubs in ways the West Wing found tedious. When Harris walked into a room, the White House staff did not stand up the way they did for Biden. The vice president took it as a sign of disrespect.'"
Todd said, "What was astonishing here is apparently, there was a meeting about this."
Martin said, "Yes. The chief of staff to Kamala Harris telephoned the West Wing and told a senior adviser in the West Wing to Biden, 'The VP has noticed this and she would like folks to stand — staff members to stand — when she enters the room.'"
He went on to say, "This pulls back, I think, the curtain on what this White House is really like. The tensions are deep and they are real between the VP's office and the West Wing."
Martin said part of the reason for the tension might be the low approval ratings that both Biden and Harris have received in recent polls.
"What is hovering over all of this, Chuck, is '24," he said, referring to the 2024 presidential election. "Is Biden going to run again? And if not, is it going to be VP Harris? That is the mood music hanging over the entire Democratic Party right now, as are Biden's poor numbers."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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