Biden knows how he'll spend his last six months in office

Just weeks after Democrats drove Joe Biden from the race, his aides are rethinking his final months as president, sketching out a targeted role on the campaign trail and sharper focus on White House events that shape his legacy.

White House and political aides have talked about occasionally sending Biden out to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris as polls suggest his approval rating has ticked up following his decision to step aside.

The vice president wants Biden’s support in the targeted places where he has the most strength, including with older white voters in states he won in 2020, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to three political aides granted anonymity to discuss private discussions.

It’s a remarkable contrast from how Biden envisioned spending the next several months, criss-crossing the country to sell voters on a second term. Still, some Democrats have privately suggested in recent weeks that the president would be better suited to staying in the White House and governing.

“Joe Biden and America had a big win last week,” said one Democratic strategist on a Senate campaign granted anonymity to characterize private conversations, referring to the return of prisoners from Russia. “He reminded voters of his compassion and steadfast leadership. More strong governing wins and less campaigning is probably the best thing he could do for the ticket.”

Another Democratic operative, also granted anonymity, who has worked on presidential campaigns was more blunt: “It’s clear the party did not want Biden as the nominee. It’s very hard to see the Harris team wanting him out there on the trail.”

Biden is expected to make his first campaign appearance with his party’s new nominee in the next few weeks following his speech at the Democratic convention, according to the three officials. He would embark on a limited campaign schedule for the fall, likely deployed strategically — certainly to Pennsylvania and perhaps other key states — and target constituencies where he continues to poll well while avoiding competing with Harris for the spotlight.

Biden would, through a mix of official and campaign events, focus on some of his popular accomplishments, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and lowering prescription drug prices, moments that would be held with an eye on both helping the Harris ticket and burnishing the president’s legacy.

“He doesn’t have to fit into the Harris-Walz vibes. That energy and enthusiasm is something she owns. But he can be helpful in specific ways,” said Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher, who noted that Biden, prior to his disastrous June 27 debate, had been enjoying strong support from seniors. “He can really lean in with older, more blue-collar voters, particularly around issues like Social Security and retirement.”

And in any appearances alongside Harris, Belcher added, “he should lean into the ‘passing the mantle’ thing and his legacy.”

In the White House, aides are flipping the script from campaign to legacy mode. Biden plans to cede much of the limelight to Harris, giving her the space she needs to separate herself from a president whom most Americans did not want to seek reelection, according to the officials.

In the weeks since his decision to step aside, the White House has been in something of a reshuffle, as aides at all levels — many considering how best to position themselves for 2025 — determine whether they want to stay on or take leave to join the Harris campaign. Those staying on have been drawing up memos for the president on how he might approach the final months of his term, suggesting domestic policies to consider highlighting, potential travel and a new approach to communication.

On Wednesday, chief of staff Jeff Zients led a call with around 2,000 appointees across all executive branch agencies to talk about what the final months of Biden’s term will look like. National security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke about new possibilities for more foreign engagements at home and abroad now that Biden is no longer a candidate, according to a person familiar with the call but granted anonymity to discuss a private call. And HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra previewed an announcement coming this month about the renegotiated and reduced costs of 10 specific prescription drugs as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, the person said.

While much remains in flux, there is already a consensus around slowing the cadence of the president’s public schedule. According to two of the officials, Biden plans to appear less frequently to deliver speeches. When he does speak, aides hope to make a bigger splash with more substantive, newsy set pieces that will focus largely on the administration’s accomplishments. Aides pointed to last week’s call for Supreme Court policy changes at the Lyndon Johnson Library in Texas, Biden’s remarks announcing a historic prisoner swap with Russia and a sit-down interview this week for “CBS News Sunday Morning” as the kinds of more substantive, higher-payoff events the White House will be looking for.

The president’s schedule is expected to be a mix of events highlighting the impact of policy wins and bucket list items for a politician capping a five-decade career. One example: Biden’s reported creation of a new national monument in Maine for Frances Perkins, the country’s first female cabinet member. And a senior campaign official pointed to Labor Day, when in past years Biden has frequently attended Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade, as a moment when the president could play a role in a broader campaign push to demonstrate support for workers.

"If I were them, I would just park his ass in Pennsylvania and move on," said a veteran Democratic operative granted anonymity to speak frankly.

Polling suggests that voters have warmed to Biden since his decision last month to step aside from the top of the Democratic ticket. In a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Tuesday, 46 percent of Americans approved of his job performance, his highest mark since February of 2023. And several recent polls show that a majority of Americans — including 87 percent surveyed in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll — approve of Biden’s decision to become just a one-term president.

Aides have begun planning the first joint Harris-Biden campaign event, though the date and location of the first rally have not yet been settled, according to the three officials.

Nothing will take place until after Harris wraps up her barnstorming tour with her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, which is scheduled to end Saturday. It may be pushed until after the convention and Biden’s likely vacation later in the month.

When it does occur, the moment will be a significant one for the Democratic Party and a reversal in Biden and Harris’ relationship. For the first time, the president would be her opening act.

“President Biden remains focused on delivering results for the American people while also working hard to build support for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz,” said TJ Ducklo, acting as the president’s personal spokesperson. “He looks forward to joining them on the trail soon to call out Donald Trump's dangerous Project 2025 agenda and talk about the Harris-Walz vision for the future."

Though plans remain fluid for the fall, Biden would likely avoid spending much time in battleground states where he was less popular, like Arizona and Nevada, instead appearing occasionally in Pennsylvania, especially the western and central parts of the state, and other key parts of the Rust Belt. He also could be used in safer blue areas and some swing congressional districts, according to one of the officials.

Biden will also host fundraisers next month for the Harris-Walz ticket and would be available to campaign for down-ballot races, the officials said — though whether candidates in tough races want the president at their side is another matter. Aides stressed that Biden’s primary focus would be on governing and would highlight the administration’s accomplishments and some of the president’s most closely held beliefs, including that Republican nominee former President Donald Trump remains a threat to democracy, the officials said.

Biden has never been known to draw huge crowds like Trump, former President Barack Obama — or Harris at the outset of her campaign. And the president’s campaign appearances could carry some risk if they remind Americans why they didn’t want Biden to run again.

“It will no doubt be awkward. I’m sure Biden wants to get out there and defend his record. Harris wants to make this election about the future,” said Republican strategist Alex Conant, who recalled that an unpopular President George W. Bush’s rare appearances with John McCain in 2008 became grist for Barack Obama’s campaign.

“I’m skeptical that Biden will campaign with Harris in any meaningful or sustained way,” Conant said. “Democrats want the race to be about Harris and Trump, not four more years of Biden.”

Adam Cancryn and Eugene Daniels contributed to this report.