Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) would be a “fine choice” for presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.
Trump, a Republican running for a second term, will likely face-off with Biden in the November election.
“I think she’d be a fine choice, Kamala Harris. She’d be a fine choice,” Trump, 73, told reporters outside the White House before leaving for Texas.
Speculation has been building that Biden, 77, has already settled on Harris, a former rival who quit her own bid for the presidency in December 2019, as his running mate.
Biden has long said he would choose a woman and has said he’d likely pick someone younger than him amid concerns about his age and health.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Biden’s notes, captured by a photographer, showed Harris’s name. Underneath, Biden had written to himself or was told to “not hold grudges,” highlight how Harris campaigned with him, and emphasize that he has “great respect for her.”
Politico added to the rumors by publishing a report that Biden had already chosen Harris as his vice presidential candidate.
The notes of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden reference Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), among other things as he speaks at a campaign event at the William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Del., on July 28, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)The news outlet included a quote from Biden calling Harris a “worthy opponent and a worthy running mate.”
Politico said the report was published in error.
Biden plans on choosing his running mate in early August, he told reporters.
“What I said was that I’m going to have a choice in the first week in August, and I promise I’ll let you know when I do,” he said.
The former vice president said he may not be able to meet with the woman in person.
President Donald Trump, right, and Vice President Mike Pence wait on the rooftop of the Operational Building at NASA before the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 30, 2020. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)Biden has largely remained at his Delaware home since March amid restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden told a virtual fundraiser on May 27 that he hoped to announce his pick by Aug. 1.
“We’re in the process of deciding the basic cut, about whether or not they really want it. Are they comfortable? They’ve asked a lot of questions,” he said, adding that he wants someone who is “simpatico with me, both in terms of personality as well as substance,” but still willing to be “completely candid with me.”
Harris said during an appearance on MSNBC late Tuesday that Biden has “outlined a number of plans that are part of his policy to build back better, build America back up to where it can be.”
Harris said the election is the most important of her lifetime.
Trump has repeatedly said he plans on keeping Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate for re-election.
Focus News: Trump: Kamala Harris Would Be ‘Fine Choice’ for Biden Running Mate