White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has dismissed reports of a rift between President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her a “bold leader” who has taken on “key, important challenges facing the country.” A media report cited nearly three dozen sources including former and current Harris aides to report that the vice president was being sidelined in her current role and could run for the top office in 2024. Observers believe Democrats will favour 57-year-old Harris over Biden, who will be 82 years old at the time of the next presidential election.

“They’re [White House staff] consistently sending her out there on losing issues in the wrong situations for her skill set,” an unnamed former high-level Harris aide told CNN. Biden’s staff, on the other hand, are said to be miffed with Harris over self-stirred controversies such as her “awkward” laughter when asked about visiting the southern border of the United States in June.

Au Revoir: US Vice President Kamala Harris mocked for ‘French accent’ at Parisian lab

Harris regularly makes trips to the southern border to meet officials and address immigration issues there. But NGOs and other organisations have reportedly been complaining about the vice president’s office not following through with its promises.

The Paris Peace Forum in the French capital last week didn’t do much to boost her international profile as world leaders gathered to discuss global issues such as climate change, migration and human rights.

Harris in Paris: What is on schedule for US Vice President?

This despite Harris being the first female US vice president and first person of color in the White House, Politico reported on November 11. In an apparent response to the Politico report, Harris’s chief spokesperson, Symone Sanders, said on Sunday that vice president’s trip to France had been productive and had “demonstrated US leadership on the world space.” Section of the media were focused on “gossip – not on the results that the President and Vice President have delivered,” Sanders tweeted.