Vice President Kamala Harris usually spends the Fourth of July weekend with her husband, Doug Emhoff, at their home in Los Angeles, grilling hot dogs for Secret Service agents. But as concerns about President Biden’s age and mental acuity continue to grow, Ms. Harris has been on the road, constantly defending his record in interviews and before crowds of supporters.
On Saturday, in an appearance at the Essence Culture Festival in New Orleans, neither Ms. Harris nor her interviewer, Caroline A. Wanga, Essence’s chief executive, mentioned Mr. Biden’s teetering campaign for re-election or the high stakes. interview to ABC News on Friday.
However, in a conversation of about 30 minutes on stage, Ms. Harris spoke about her biography, jabbed heavily at former President Donald J. Trump and promoted the achievements of the Biden administration on issues such as Black mothers’ health, student debt and housing.
“Know what we all know,” he said. “In 122 days, each of us has the power to decide the country we want.”
They warned of Mr Trump’s open praise for dictators, promises of retribution against political enemies and a new star of immunity granted by the Supreme Court.
This is an important moment for Ms. Harris. The intense scrutiny Mr. Biden has faced as pressure mounts for him to step down has begun to close in on his most likely successor. She made an early and surprise appearance at the Essence festival on Friday night, walking to Beyoncé’s “Freedom” after being introduced by comedian Punkie Johnson.
“Let us always celebrate the diversity, depth and beauty of our culture,” Ms. Harris said to a resounding cheer.
Leaders with several progressive organizations and women’s advocacy groups said Friday that they were working to raise Ms. Harris’s profile and highlight her accomplishments, regardless of whether Mr. Biden chose to step aside.
The vice president remains largely undecided in public, according to polls, although he and the issues in his portfolio — such as reproductive rights and gun violence — are popular with groups Mr. Biden wants, including women, young people and voters of color.
Mr. Trump and his Republican allies have also stepped up their criticism of Ms. Harris. On his social media site, Truth Social, Mr. Trump described her as a “potential new Democratic challenger” and called her “Laffin’ Kamala Harris,” an apparent reference to her laughter.
Leaders with UltraViolet, Emily’s List and other women’s groups released a joint statement condemning Mr. Trump’s attack on Ms. Harris, said she can’t stand to see black women who are smarter, tougher and more respected than her “get the credit. She deserves to be their leader.”
The appearance of Ms. Harris in New Orleans is part of an effort to revive black voters, a constituency critical to Democratic success in November. Before being interviewed on stage, Ms. Harris took a photo with members of the Congressional Black Caucus at a booth set up by the national Democratic group to register voters and raise awareness about the achievements of the Biden administration.
Despite the high praise for Ms. Harris, some attendees said they hope the party will stick with Mr. Biden as its presidential nominee.
“I think he still has the heart to lead this country,” said Jeanetta Hawkins, 62, a small business owner in St. Louis. Louis, about Mr. Biden.
Tiffany Altman, 36, brought a copy of Ms. Harris “The Truths We Hold” in hopes of getting a signature. Watching Mr. Biden during the presidential debate had been “painful,” he said. But he was crushed when Hillary Clinton lost to Mr. Trump in 2016, and he doubts the United States is ready for a black woman in the White House.
That sentiment is common, even though recent research shows that women and nonwhite candidates are winning races at rates similar to or exceeding their white male counterparts.
