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Jill Biden and Kamala Harris might play nice in public, but behind the scenes, things reportedly aren’t as cordial as they seem. Rumors of an icy relationship between the first lady and the vice president persist — and events after the 2024 presidential elections haven’t helped to squash them.
The tension became even more evident in the aftermath of election season, particularly during the Veterans Day ceremony and Jimmy Carter’s funeral, where Jill and Harris were seen all but ignoring each other. Reports even suggest that Jill’s shadiness extended to Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, creating a wider rift between the Bidens and the Harris-Emhoff household. While Harris has kept her feelings under wraps, the pair’s stiff body language has said just about enough.
So what’s the story here? We dug into this unlikely feud to uncover its roots — and as it turns out, their beef has been simmering since 2019, back when Joe Biden and Harris were rivals battling for the Democratic nomination. Yep, this cold war has been brewing for nearly half a decade, and the drama between the two only seems to be heating up as time goes by.
Their so-called feud started when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were vying for the DNC nomination
In 2019, before Joe Biden and Kamala Harris teamed up as president and vice president, they were rivals battling for the Democratic nomination — and things got heated, to say the least. During the first debate, Harris didn’t hold back, dissing Biden’s past partnerships with conservative lawmakers who were pro-segregation and his opposition to busing to desegregate schools. She made sure to add a disclaimer — “I do not believe you are a racist” — but the critique stung.
“I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground … [But] it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputation and careers on the segregation of race in this country,” she said before later reminding everyone that Biden once stood against federal measures requiring local governments to use busing to integrate schools back in the 1970s.
As you might imagine, Jill Biden was not thrilled. She was practically fuming after the debate and didn’t mince words when later addressing the situation. “I think that they were looking at the past. I mean, the one thing you cannot say about Joe is that he’s a racist. I mean, he got into politics because of his commitment to civil rights,” she told CNN, also doubling down on her faith in the public’s judgment. “The American people know Joe Biden. They know his values. They know what he stands for. And they didn’t buy it.”
Jill did not deny cussing out Kamala out of anger
Jill Biden was not holding back after Kamala Harris took aim at Joe Biden during the Democratic debate. According to Edward-Isaac Dovere’s book, “Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaigns to Defeat Trump,” the usually composed professor reportedly let her frustrations fly on a post-debate call with Joe’s supporters. “With what he cares about, what he fights for, what he’s committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis?” she told those on the call (via Politico) before allegedly adding the now-infamous line: “Go f**k yourself.”
And here’s the kicker: When asked about the rumored remark years later, Jill didn’t bat an eye or bother denying it. “That was two years ago we’ve moved on from that,” she told reporters. Her press secretary, Michael LaRosa, played it just as cool, brushing it off with a vague comment to Politico. “Many books will be written on the 2020 campaign, with countless retellings of events — some accurate, some inaccurate,” he said at the time. “The First Lady and her team do not plan to comment on any of them.” In short, they weren’t about to waste energy debunking it, which kind of says it all.
Jill was also reportedly opposed to Joe picking Kamala as his veep
If Jill Biden had her way, Kamala Harris wouldn’t have come within a ten-foot pole of the Biden name, let alone the White House. Still fuming over Harris’s debate performance, Jill reportedly put her foot down when Harris emerged as the top contender for Joe’s running mate. Her reasoning? That infamous exchange on stage, of course.
As recounted in “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future” by reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, Jill had a pointed question for Joe Biden’s team: “There are millions of people in the United States. Why do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?” (via Fox News). Even Joe himself wasn’t initially sold on Harris, reportedly raising concerns about her controversial past, including her relationship with her ex, Willie Brown.
But Ron Klain, who would go on to become White House Chief of Staff, made a compelling counterargument. Harris, he argued, was the ideal pick — not in spite of her debate performance, but because of it.”Choosing Harris will show people that you are magnanimous and forgiving,” Klain told Biden, according to the book. “It will show the country just what a unifying leader you can be.”
Jill Biden suspiciously wore red outfits after the 2024 presidential election
If rumors are to be believed, Jill Biden’s frustration with Kamala Harris didn’t end after their time in the White House or even after Jill publicly backed Harris’s presidential campaign. The real eyebrow-raiser? Jill’s outfit choices during and after the 2024 elections. The First Lady unapologetically donned MAGA red enough times to spark speculation that she might have been rooting for the other team.
“We saw all the wearing red. I do think she voted for Trump,” Fox News host Emily Compagno said in an “Outnumbered” episode (via The Independent). “And I think she is gleeful that Kamala didn’t win, as is her husband.” Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro piled on, confidently declaring at a rally, “I know Jill Biden voted for Trump. There is no question. You see them hanging out? There is no question she voted for Donald Trump.”
Of course, there’s no actual proof of Jill ever switching sides, and her red outfits could very well have been just that — outfits. After all, she went on record during the campaign to back Harris with glowing praise: “We have seen her courage, her determination, and her leadership up close,” she said during the campaign. “Kamala and Tim, you will win, and you are inspiring a new generation.”
Jill may or may not have mocked Kamala after she lost to Trump
Even if Jill Biden did vote for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump (as she publicly claimed), it seems their alleged tension is far from forgotten. Jill may have even (accidentally or not) reignited the drama when she appeared to mock Harris’s campaign buzzword: “joy.”
Speaking at the White House Conference on Women’s Health Research, Jill offered some holiday cheer, saying, “I hope that you all feel that sense of peace and light, and just for a moment when you leave here today, that you feel, I don’t know, a little, a sense of joy. Because I think we all need like this, you know, we all need to feel joy now.” That statement elicited laughter from the audience, and Jill quickly backtracked with a chuckle, adding, “You’re all reading into that!”
Intentional shade or just a coincidental choice of words? While there’s no concrete proof of ongoing drama, insiders have hinted that relations between the Bidens and the Harris family are anything but cozy. According to The Wall Street Journal, the dynamic turned “frosty” after the 2024 elections. Whether this chilliness ever thaws is anyone’s guess. Only time — and maybe a few more pointed speeches — will tell.
