Shade war between Kamala and Biden heats up as Election Day nears

As Election Day approaches, tensions between Vice President Kamala Harris's team and President Joe Biden's White House staff are reportedly under strain, according to sources who spoke with Axios.

The friction stems from lingering frustration within Biden's camp over the president being pressured by his own party to step down and not run for re-election. While the Biden team is still supporting a Harris victory in November, many remain uneasy about the transition from running Biden’s re-election campaign to now backing a different candidate.

"They're too much in their feelings," a close Harris ally told Axios, referring to Biden's team.

There have also been concerns regarding miscommunication with event coordination and media strategy. Last Friday, Biden held an impromptu White House press conference just as Harris was about to participate in a key campaign event in the swing state of Michigan. TV coverage switched from her event to that of the president speaking. 

Additionally, during the ongoing news coverage of hurricanes on the East Coast, Harris criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for not taking her phone call. However, Biden publicly praised DeSantis for being "gracious" and "cooperative" in handling the disaster. DeSantis met with Biden and accused Harris of making a political game out of the disaster in his state.

"The White House is lacking someone in the room thinking first and foremost about how things would affect the campaign,” a source from the Harris campaign told Axios.

However, some have wondered whether these examples of miscommunication between the two teams are intentional due to lingering resentment from the Biden team. This also comes after Biden’s odd decision to playfully wear a Trump hat in front of reporters in Pennsylvania. 

The strained relationship is also evident as several Biden aides have left the White House to join the Harris campaign. This has caused some within Biden's circle to feel that those departing are being labeled as disloyal.

"Everyone from the president on down knows how important the election is, and we always anticipated a number of staff would want to transition from the administration to the campaign for the final stretch” a White House official admitted to Axios.

Speculation has persisted that Biden, along with his wife, Jill, harbor resentment over leaders within the Democratic Party for withdrawing their support in his re-election efforts. Notably, when Biden first announced his resignation, he did not initially endorse Harris as his successor in his resignation letter. His endorsement only came later, fueling rumors of lingering bitterness. Reports also suggest that both Joe and Jill Biden remain upset with Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi over how the decision to step down was handled, and that Jill feels "betrayed" by the series of events that unfolded.