Democrat leader hesitates to say Kamala Harris is the future of Democratic Party
'The Big Weekend' panelists discuss rumors around Vice President Kamala Harris's future as predictions mount that former First Lady Michelle Obama could replace President Biden.
Former Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown refused to comment on Vice President Kamala Harris after expressing confidence in President Biden as the "man of the hour," during a recent media interview.
While talking about President Biden and overall feelings of the electorate, Brown told NBC News in a recent interview that the president was the "man of the hour."
"I would say he’s the man of the hour. He’s there," Brown said, adding that he didn't have a political strategy for the Democrats. "It's very challenging."
NBC News reported that Brown "stiffened" following a question about Harris, who started her political career in California, rising in state politics to become California's Attorney General and later a U.S. Senator. He "had nothing at all to share about a fellow Californian who is next in the line of presidential succession," the report continued.
Former Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown refused to comment on Vice President Harris as someone who is second-in-line to the presidency. (Left: Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images))
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"I do not have a thought on that topic," he said.
Brown was also critical of the media during the interview and reacted to Biden's response to a question about whether he thought Xi Jinping is a dictator.
He said Biden was "responsible" for the comment and added, "the reporters want to fan the flames of conflict leading to war because they’re so damn stupid."
"That is my belief of your profession," he told NBC News.
Former California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks during the American Geophysical Union Conference on December 11, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is campaigning in California. ((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))
He also offered the president some advice.
"When you’ve been in politics for 50 years, the first thing you’re supposed to learn is how to avoid an embarrassing question. That has to be lesson one," he said.
Brown served two different tenures as California governor, serving from 1975 to 1983, and 2011 to 2019. He also served as the state's Attorney General from 2007 to 2011, where he was replaced by Harris.
Harris is in no danger of being replaced on the Biden 2024 ticket, but her low popularity and grumbling about her performance from within the party has been a thorn in her side throughout her tenure.
Harris recently reacted to polling showing the president was trailing Donald Trump in key swing states and in multiple hypothetical 2024 match-ups during a recent interview with CNN.
"We’re going to have to earn our re-elect, there’s no doubt about it," she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks about the Biden Administration's work to regulate artificial intelligence during an event in the East Room of the White House on October 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"It is absolutely right in a democracy with free and fair elections that the candidates, the people who want to continue in leadership have to make their case, and have to make it effectively," she continued. "And that means communicating in such a way that the message is received about the accomplishments and what we care about."