Politics

KAMALA HARRIS WRAPPED: Here’s How America’s Favorite VP Fared During Another Rocky Year Under Scrutiny

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[Photo Credit | Daily Caller]

Reagan Reese White House Correspondent
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Vice President Kamala Harris had an active 2023, from heading the White House’s anti-Islamophobia task force, to announcing an abortion rights tour, to solving the root causes of the immigration crisis, all while taking fire from all sides on the administration’s performance.

In 2023, Harris recorded the lowest vice-presidential favorability rating in NBC News poll history, hitting a net-negative rating of -17. Forty-nine percent of Americans said in June they had a negative view of the vice president, while 39 percent said they had a “very negative view.” Amid the low poll numbers, Harris made an attempt throughout the year to forward the administration’s missions on a variety of fronts, including gun-safety, the migration crisis and climate change.

Harris kicked off 2023 by touting her progress on fixing the root causes of the migration crisis in February. The vice president announced Feb. 6 the Biden administration had invested at least $3.2 billion to address the migration crisis, unveiling they would be pouring an additional $956 million into private sector entities. (RELATED: Biden Says Kamala Harris Is Doing A ‘Good Job’ With The Border After She Was Missing For Seven Months)

“These investments have created jobs. These investments have increased access to the financial system, including to the internet. These investments have allowed small businesses, which have the potential, not only in the United States, but around the world, and in particular this region, have the potential to really thrive if they have access to financing,” Harris said in February.

The vice president appears to have not done another event on the migration crisis all year, despite being tasked with tackling the issue in 2021. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have encountered record high numbers of migrants at the border in December. Border Patrol agents have encountered more than 547,000 migrants crossing the southern border illegally since October, according to preliminary data recently obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

While Harris hasn’t addressed the migration crisis since February, she has been traveling abroad, taking a week-long trip to Africa in March to grow the United States’ relations with Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. During Harris’ trip she spoke with leaders from each country on a variety of topics, including climate change, supply chains, international norms and economic growth.

In April, President Joe Biden and Harris set their sights on 2024, announcing their reelection bid. Spanning from the reelection announcement to Sept. 1, Harris had 27 weekdays with nothing on her public calendar, a Daily Caller analysis found. When something was found on the vice president’s schedule, it was typically one event spanning from lunch with the president, to roundtables, to daily briefings with the president.

Harris has appeared in several campaign materials all while traveling across the country to discuss climate change and the Inflation Reduction Act. Throughout May, Harris convened a roundtable with people of color who own small businesses, met with CEOs to discuss AI and traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to give remarks for National Small Business Week.

In June, the vice president came under fire after criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while speaking at the Israeli Embassy. Harris criticized the Israeli leaders’ proposed reforms to his country’s judiciary, which would attempt to limit the power of the Supreme Court and give the prime minister more ability to appoint other judges. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen quickly shot back at Harris, claiming the vice president didn’t know what she was talking about with her comments.

“I can tell you that if you ask her what bothers her about the reform, she won’t be able to tell you,” Cohen said.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris introduces President Joe Biden during an event about their administration's work to regulate artificial intelligence in the East Room of the White House on October 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. President Biden issued a new executive order on Monday, directing his administration to create a new chief AI officer, track companies developing the most powerful AI systems, adopt stronger privacy policies and "both deploy AI and guard against its possible bias," creating new safety guidelines and industry standards. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris introduces President Joe Biden during an event about their administration’s work to regulate artificial intelligence in the East Room of the White House on October 30, 2023 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Harris chose to tackle the United States’ fentanyl crisis in July, hosting a roundtable to address the growing issue. The vice president, however, failed to mention China or Mexico during the event — two countries primarily responsible for the drug’s production and presence in the country.

Sparks flew in August between Harris and Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the vice president accused the state’s African American history curriculum of being racist. Following the vice president’s repeated false claims, DeSantis invited Harris to debate him on the history standards — but she refused, according to the Florida Times-Union.

“Right here in Florida, they plan to teach students that enslaved people benefited from slavery,” Harris said regarding the curriculum, continuing to ignite backlash. “They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us in an attempt to divide and distract our nation with unnecessary debates. And now, they attempt to legitimize these unnecessary debates with a proposal that most recently came in of a politically motivated roundtable.”

As the Biden administration faced backlash for its handling of the migration crisis and the economy, Harris fielded complaints from social media users after being spotted dancing at her residence to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre in September. Harris was celebrating with about 400 guests, including artists Common, D-Nice, Omarion, Jeezy, MC Lyte and Roxanne Shante.

The vice president also embarked on a nationwide tour of the country’s colleges in an effort to mobilize students to take action on a variety of issues, spanning from climate action, the right to abortion and even “book bans.” While on the tour, a student grilled Harris on the Biden administration’s border policy, asking the vice president about why they have continued to deport children and their families while simultaneously building a wall.

Biden and his team have fielded concerns about the 81-year-old’s fitness for president, including Harris. During an interview with “60 Minutes,” the vice president was asked about concerns and calls for the duo to not run in 2024 because of Biden’s age. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Asked Point-Blank Why The Biden Administration Is So Unpopular)

“First of all, I’m not going to engage in that hypothetical because Joe Biden is very much alive and running for re-election,” Harris responded.

“But you do know,” “60 Minutes” host Bill Whitaker responded, “I mean that is a concern, and a legitimate concern, I would say.”

“I hear from a lot of different people a lot of different things. But let me just tell you. I’m focused on the job. I truly am. Our democracy is on the line, Bill. And I, frankly, in my head do not have time for parlor games, when we have a president who is running for re-election,” Harris continued.

Amid a spike in antisemitism following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Harris announced the White House would be creating the nation’s first-ever national strategy to counter Islamophobia. The vice president led the task force and repeatedly condemned all forms of hate in the announcement.

Social media users took it to Harris after she posted a photo on Twitter for Thanksgiving with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff standing in front of a gas stove and food prepared for the holidays. The Biden administration previously announced a crack down on gas stoves, causing critiques to bash the vice president for her hypocrisy.

At the end of the month Harris then embarked to the United Nations (UN) climate summit on behalf of the country, after Biden received pushback for not deciding to go himself.

In a move to round out the year and set sights on 2024, the White House announced Dec. 19 that Harris would be embarking on a tour across the country to advocate for the right to abortion. The vice president’s first trip will be to Wisconsin where she will take aim at the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to reverse Roe V. Wade and give the authority to regulate abortions back to the states.

“In the new year, I will be traveling the country to organize, build community, and fight back. Because when we fight, we win,” Harris said to close out her 2023 initiatives.