US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made an upbeat joint appearance on Thursday to celebrate a deal that will lower prescription drug prices for Americans on Medicare.
The event, held at a community college in Maryland, marked the first time the two have appeared together publicly since Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Chants of “Thank you Joe!” rang out from the audience as Biden praised Harris, saying “She can make one hell of a president.”
Harris struck a deferential tone, introducing Biden and stressing that it has been her honor to serve under him.
But the spotlight was clearly on the vice president, who has surged in the polls against Republican Donald Trump since entering the White House race.
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The drug pricing deal, which the White House says will save older Americans $1.5 billion and Medicare $6 billion in the first year, provides a boost for Harris as she lays out her economic platform ahead of the election. Rising prices have been a major issue for voters.
In contrast, Trump delivered rambling remarks from his New Jersey golf club, attacking Harris as having a “very strong communist lean” and saying she will mean the “death of the American dream.”
The 78-year-old former president has struggled to regain momentum since Biden withdrew from the race.