Kamala gets the cold shoulder: Biden appears to IGNORE his beleaguered VP at DC soup kitchen appearance for Thanksgiving and did NOT greet her after rumors she could be replaced
Amid rumored tensions and complaints from Kamala Harris' aides that the vice president is being set up to fail, Harris and President Joe Biden didn't interact much at a joint appearance at a Washington soup kitchen ahead of Thanksgiving.
The president, vice president, first lady Jill Biden, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were at DC Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that prepares Thanksgiving dinners for families in need.
However, President Biden appears to give the cold shoulder to Harris, rarely acknowledging or interacting with the VP just a few feet away.
Jill Biden directed Harris to a spot next to her husband at one point during the event, but the president didn't appear to greet Harris.
President Joe Biden appeared to snub Vice President Kamala Harris at a Thanksgiving event on Tuesday in Washington
The event was Harris' first appearance with the president in over a week, after reports suggested tensions between the two, as well as their staff members
Both the Biden and Harris camps have vehemently denied any attempt to create a rift between the president and the first female vice president
Biden's only apparent addressing of Harris was when he was heard saying 'Come on, Kamala!' to her, pointing to a tray of green beans for her to serve
At one point, Biden can be heard saying 'come on, Kamala!' pointing her to a tray of green beans to scoop for the troops.
'I'm here!' Harris responded as she got to work.
Microphones installed by the White House press pool didn't capture Biden and Harris speaking to one another otherwise.
This was Biden and Harris' first appearance together in over a week.
Last week, reports suggested Biden's relationship with Kamala Harris is in crisis, with her staff furious that she is being 'sidelined,' while the president's team are increasingly frustrated by how she is playing with American public.
Harris' approval rating has plunged even further than Biden's in recent months, with rumors swirling that the president is considering appointing her to the Supreme Court as a backdoor method of selecting a new VP.
She and her top aides are meanwhile frustrated with Biden for handing her 'no-win' issues like the border crisis, White House insiders told CNN.
They cited how the president defended 'white man' Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, more vigorously than her.
At the same time, Biden's staff are privately disappointed with Harris over self-inflicted controversies, like her 'awkward' laughter when asked about visiting the border by NBC's Lester Holt.
They blame her failure on the border crisis for sliding poll numbers. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Biden at 53 percent disapproval and 41 percent approval – down 11 points from April.
Publicly, the White House insists the relationship between Biden and Harris remains harmonious and productive.
Vice President Kamala Harris' increasing frustration and tension with President Joe Biden's inner circle has been laid bare in a new report
Joe Biden's approval rating continues to dive in the midst of economic crises, dipping to 41%. The president disembarks Marine One at For McNair after returning from Camp David to Washington on Sunday
Biden, talks to Colonel David D. Bowling, after disembarking from Marine One at Fort McNair upon returning from Camp David to the White House on Sunday
Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff prepare to board Air Force Two on their way back from Paris on Saturday
A new poll shows an 11 point drop in Biden's approval since April
On Sunday night, White House Press Secretary Jenn Psaki appeared to respond to the CNN report with a furious tweet insisting that Harris is a 'vital partner' and 'a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country - from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.'
Biden on Tuesday said he was thankful for the 'people who I'm standing next to' as he prepared the Thanksgiving meals alongside Jill, Harris, Emhoff and the staff at DC Central Kitchen.
'The people who I'm standing next to is who I'm thankful for. They got up. They got knocked down and got back up,' Biden said, putting his arm around one of the staff next to him.
DC Central Kitchen trains jobless adults in the culinary arts along with providing meals for those in need.
The Bidens were participating in the service project before departing for Nantucket, where they will spend the Thanksgiving holiday.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden formed an assembly line to put together Thanksgiving meals during a service project at DC Central Kitchen
President Joe Biden said he was thankful for the 'people who I'm standing next to' as he prepared Thanksgiving meals
Jill Biden called for Vice President Harris to hurry up and get to the string beans
The Bidens participated in the service project before leaving for Nantucket, where they will spend Thanksgiving - above President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, carrying flowers, arrive at Joint Base Andrews
The four helped prepare Thanksgiving meals for the nonprofit that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. President Barack Obama and his family visited DC Central Kitchen twice while he was in office.
On the assembly line, President Biden took on turkey prep, Harris was on string bean duty, Jill Biden handled the squash casserole and Emhoff finished the meals off with gravy.
DC Central Kitchen, founded in 1989, said they planned to serve around 4,000 Thanksgiving meals this year. 'They put together about 450 of those plates this afternoon during the visit,' a spokesperson for the nonprofit told DailyMail.com of the presidential visit.
The president and second gentleman wore black baseball caps embroidered with DC Central Kitchen's logo.
Celebrity chef José Andrés, who serves on DC Central Kitchen's board, was there for the event.
It was the second service project for the Bidens' this week. On Monday, they celebrated 'Friendsgiving' with troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
The president serrved scoops of stuffing while the first lady served mashed potatoes – both were wearing aprons with the presidential seal.
At the 'friendsgiving' dinner there were some 250 attendees including service members, families of deployed troops and elected officials.
The Bidens left DC Central Kitchen on Tuesday and went straight to Joint Base Andrews to leave for Nantucket, where they'll be through Sunday for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Bidens will stay at the compound of billionaire businessman David Rubenstein on Nantucket Harbor, the Nantucket Current reported.
The 13-acre compound is worth around $20 million. Rubenstein is the co-founder of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group. He gives millions to charity - including for the repair of the Washington Monument after the 2011 earthquake and to the National Zoo for its Giant Panda program. He also is chairman of the Kennedy Center.
Biden has previously stayed at Rubenstein's place on Nantucket, including in 2014 when he was vice president. The Bidens rent a home on the island for the holiday and the location has varied from year to year.
Chef Jose Andres, who sits on the board of DC Central Kitchen, watches the Bidens at work
Doug Emhoff gives Jill Biden a hug during their service project
The Bidens, despite the enormous amount of staff, security and press following them, are expected to continue some of their usual traditions.
They usually get their Thanksgiving dinner from chef Bill Puder at Faregrounds restaurant.
Biden is also expected to attend the annual Christmas tree lighting event on Main Street Friday, the Current reported, and will possibly go to Catholic mass at the St. Mary church on Federal Street on Saturday.
Over the weekend, military aircraft and vehicles arrived on the 105 mile square foot island and temporary flight restrictions were put into place ahead of Biden's arrival.
The Bidens were still dating when they first visited Nantucket, with Biden’s sons, Beau and Hunter, in the mid-1970s.
Biden wrote in his 2017 memoir 'Promise Me Dad' that one of his aides suggest the island for a get-away.
'Neither Jill nor I had ever been there, but we decided to go ahead and make an adventure of it,' he wrote.
Over the weekend, military aircraft and vehicles arrived on Nantucket ahead of Biden's arrival on Tuesday evening
The 13-acre compound owned by billionaire Carlyle group co-founder David Rubenstein on Nantucket Harbor is worth about $20 million
There was one notable interruption to the Bidens' traditional visit to the island.
For Thanksgiving 2015, which took place about six months after Beau Biden, the president's eldest son, died of brain cancer, Jill Biden opted to take the family to Rome instead.
Beau proposed to his future wife at Nantucket's 2001 Christmas tree lighting and married her at a chuch on the island.
Last year, Biden and Jill celebrated Thanksgiving at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., because of the COVID pandemic, when medical experts were advising against large crowds. Only their daughter Ashley and her husband joined them.
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