During her tenure as Vice President in the Joe Biden Administration, Kamala Harris had a cordial and copasetic working relationship with the President. It’s said that she also shared a close friendship with Biden. However, the same cannot be said about Harris’ bond with Jill Biden, as the two have reportedly been butting heads ever since a debate between Joe and Kamala got a little too aggressive back in 2019 during their bid for the Democratic nomination.
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Since then, and throughout Joe Biden’s tenure, there have been multiple instances where there have been rumors of bad blood between Jill and Kamala. That being said, here’s a brief account of the supposed tiff between the two right from the heated debate up until recent times.
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Gossip about there being a beef between Jill and Kamala first began when the latter was competing against Joe to be tapped as the Democratic nominee to run the Presidential race in 2019. While the two were friends, Kamala did not hesitate to take shots at Joe’s voting record in the 70s. She slammed him for a story he told about being able to work with pro-segregation senators despite them not being able to see eye-to-eye on many issues. She also cited Joe’s opposition to federally mandated busing initiatives, which were intended to integrate schools.
Watch Kamala Harris confront Joe Biden on his record opposing federally mandated busing to integrate public schools: “That little girl was me.”#DemDebate2 pic.twitter.com/WXdvgs5zL0
— Vox (@voxdotcom) June 28, 2019
Kamala did make it clear that she wasn’t trying to paint Joe as a racist by bringing these points up, though. And while Joe did end up bagging the nomination, Jill Biden called Kamala’s aggressive approach “the biggest surprise” throughout that election cycle. Speaking to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Jill said, “The American people know Joe Biden. They know his values. They know what he stands for. And they didn’t buy it.”
Next up is Jill Biden’s supposed sense of betrayal when the Democrats felt like Kamala was a better option to contest against Donald Trump than Joe after he performed rather disappointingly against Trump in a debate. Speaking to Daily Mail after Kamala was formally announced to run against Trump, an unnamed source said, “Jill views Democrats on Capitol Hill, the (wider) party, the Obamas, staff inside and outside the White House, the media, and all of Washington DC with such misguided resentment that I can’t imagine she (isn’t) encouraging (Joe) to burn the whole thing down, despite his better judgment.”
Jill Biden gives Kamala Harris the cold shoulder after husband Joe was forced out of race the VP lost to Trump https://t.co/v62P7bJWLQ pic.twitter.com/2D8hbVASyH
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) November 11, 2024
More recent instances of Jill Biden and Kamala Harris not acknowledging each other’s existence are the 2024 Veterans’ Day and a December event at the Kennedy Center Honors. On both occasions, Jill Biden seemed to be avoiding acknowledging or entertaining conversations with Kamala Harris.
Jill and Joe Biden are refusing to even look at Kamala Harris tonight 😬 pic.twitter.com/qL6jftoLsu
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 9, 2024
Despite the aforementioned instances, Joe Biden’s final address as President scrapped all rumors of bad blood.
During Joe’s final presidential address from the Oval Office in January 2025, Jill Biden and Kamala Harris shared a touching moment. As Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, stood near the far wall, Jill sat beside Joe. At one point, Jill and Harris exchanged warm smiles and held hands, a gesture of unity during Biden’s last days in office.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice-President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden listen to US President Joe Biden (off frame) as he delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2025. pic.twitter.com/TEGZXONVU4
— Fabi (@kamala_things) January 16, 2025
With the Bidens stepping away from politics and Harris considering her future after her difficult election loss, any lingering speculation about tension between Jill and Harris may remain unanswered. Despite widespread rumors of a feud, former White House spokesperson Andrew Bates denied any conflict. Harris’ spokesperson, Kirsten Allen, also emphasized to the Wall Street Journal that Harris and Biden shared both a professional and personal friendship, with Jill and Emhoff included in that close circle.
