Jamal Simmons, who held the position of communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris from January 2022 to January 2023, has put forth a provocative suggestion that President Joe Biden should consider stepping down to allow Harris to ascend as the first female president of the United States.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Simmons said, “Joe Biden’s been a phenomenal president; he’s lived up to so many of the promises he’s made. There’s one promise left that he could fulfill, being a transitional figure. He could resign the presidency in the next 30 days, make Kamala Harris President of the United States.”
The pressure on Biden comes after the recent U.S. presidential election on November 5, 2024, in which former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump won in major swing states such as Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, securing his return as the 47th President of the United States. His inauguration is set for January 2025.
Simmons’s proposal reflects ongoing discussions within the Democratic Party about its future and leadership transition, especially in light of the recent election loss.
In a separate development, the Kremlin has denied reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had a phone conversation about the Ukraine conflict last week.
The Washington Post had reported on Sunday that Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Thursday and advised him not to escalate the situation in Ukraine. However, Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, described the report as “completely false information.”