It wasn't that long ago when Joe Biden was yukking it up with some Trump supporters, and after a humorous back and forth, Biden donned one of the Trump hats and smiled. It was a moment that got people talking all across the internet. The rumor mill started churning out speculation that Biden was actually sending signals that his being forced out of the race by the Democrat Party wasn't sitting well with him.
Then, later on, Biden was seen carrying a red hat up the stairs to Air Force One. It wasn't a Trump hat, but it bore the same unmistakable shade of red. Many people couldn't help but make that connection, and it only fueled the rumors that Biden was, indeed, showing a form of spite.
Is Biden carrying a MAGA hat?
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) September 13, 2024
No
Is he carrying a very similar red hat in front of cameras to send a message to Kamala?
Yes
Looks like Biden is starting his revenge tour
pic.twitter.com/WMf7282iNn
Harris has been at the forefront of the Biden administration since then, to the point where people would almost mistake her as being the President. Biden has been, more or less, hidden away, being brought up in name only and talked about publicly like he's one of the greatest presidents we've ever had. When asked if Harris had done anything differently than what Biden did, she says she wouldn't have changed a thing.
A new way forward, indeed.
But I think if we were confused about how Biden feels about the whole thing, I think we're getting a pretty good look now. On Tuesday, Bonchie reported that Biden completely torpedoed Harris's rant about DeSantis trying to play politics by telling her to stay away from Florida by saying that he and DeSantis were working great together.
Meanwhile, DeSantis didn't mince words about how Harris is a detriment, not a help in any way:
And so for Kamala Harris to say the my sole focus on the people of Florida is somehow selfish is delusional. She has no role in this. In fact, she has been vice president for three and a half years; I've dealt with a number of storms during this administration and she has never contributed anything to these efforts. And so what I think is selfish is her trying to blunder into this...
And I will say this, I've had storms under both President Trump and President Biden, and I've worked well with both of them. She's the first one who's trying to politicize the storm, and she's doing that just because of her campaign. She's trying to get some kind of an edge, she knows she doing poorly, and so she's playing these political games. I don't have time for political games. I've got people whose lives are on the line.
As I reported, Harris's moves during Helene showed a woman who didn't truly care about the people at all. Not only was her response delayed because she took the time to appear on a podcast that primarily focuses on women and sex, that only 170,000 ended up watching, but she flew down to North Carolina, halting recuse efforts and complicating matters just so she could secure a photo op.
(READ: Does the Biden-Harris Response to Helene Prove It's Insidious, Incompetent, or Both?)
Harris responded by, of course, saying that DeSantis was the one in the wrong and that he was the one playing politics at the expense of people's lives... because I guess people's lives hinge on whether Harris can be seen photographed smiling and holding someone's hand whose house was just wiped out by a hurricane.
Then Biden did what likely had Democrat strategists shrieking at their screens; he complimented DeSantis.
“The Governor of Florida has been cooperative. He’s said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday. I said 'I know you’re doing a great job,'” Biden told reporters.
Kamala is lying?
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 8, 2024
Biden on Gov. DeSantis: “The Governor of Florida has been cooperative. He’s said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday. I said 'I know you’re doing a great job'” pic.twitter.com/AbMCTClZQs
Biden might as well have said, "Kamala is wrong, DeSantis is right." The effect would have been the exact same. This was monumentally embarrassing for Harris.
Could this have been Biden being Biden, and saying things off the top of his head without thinking through the implications? Yeah, it's possible... but I'm not so sure. More and more, this seems like a man sending signals. He says supportive things out of one side of his mouth, but out of the other he's complicating matters for Harris and the Democrat Party.
I've often said that spite is the most powerful of all human emotions, and one that can drive someone to act even against his own principles in order to hamper or complicate a person or people they feel spite for. The Biden's seem like a very spiteful family, and they have a lot of reason to not like the Democrat Party right now. They didn't want to drop out of the race, they were forced out, and Biden has done odd things ever since, beginning with a couple of hats.
(READ: Joe Biden Shows Up on 'The View' to Kneecap Harris, Threaten Trump, and Bask in Delusion)
But this move that embarrasses Harris, and right before the election, seems incredibly purposeful. Biden would have been coached on what to say about this matter, and you can tell when he is being told what to say.
This felt like one of those rare moments where Biden was being honest. He didn't have to keep up with or remember a lie. He complimented his enemy's handling of an issue while he was in direct opposition to his own vice-president on that issue. That's not a small thing. In fact, it's too big to be just another Biden bumble.
I think the White House is a house divided, and the cracks are increasingly showing.
