While Kamala Harris suffered a defeat in the presidential election against Donald Trump, she nonetheless remains the vice-president of the United States. A parameter that could still allow him to sit last in the Oval Office between now and January 20 and the inauguration of his opponent.
Can Kamala Harris still make history? It would seem so according to this scenario, although it remains unlikely. On November 6, the vice-president could have been the first woman and the second person of color to lead the United States. However, the former senator lost the vote by winning only 226 electors against 312 for Donald Trump.
However, Kamala Harris remains the vice-president of the country. A position that would allow him to take the helm if Joe Biden was no longer fit to govern due to health problems or other circumstances. This was also the first of the two reasons which pushed the politician to take the reins of the White House in 2021 for 1h25 when the head of state, 79 years old at the time, had to undergo a “colonoscopy of routine”.
Another circumstance that can lead a vice president to take over is none other than the death of the head of state in office. A scenario that has occurred eight times in the United States. While four of them lost their lives to natural causes, four others were assassinated, including John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963. It was his vice-president Lyndon B. Johnson who completed his term in 1963.
Call for Joe Biden to resign
While Donald Trump will be sworn in in Washington on January 20, 2025, Jamal Simmons, former communications director for Kamala Harris, called on Joe Biden to resign in favor of his vice-president. “He could resign in the next thirty days, make Kamala Harris president of the United States. This would spare Harris from having to manage the transition on January 6, after her own defeat,” he declared on the CNN set this Sunday.
As a reminder, on January 6, the two chambers of Congress must meet in a joint session to count the votes of the electors. Once this process is completed, it will be up to Kamala Harris to announce Donald Trump's victory.
On
But does losing in 2024 mean that Kamala Harris will be there in 2028? Many rumors are already circulating across the Atlantic. As the Time of India estimated, his experience after this first presidential campaign gave him the opportunity to better understand the demands of Americans and the issues facing the country. She could thus make her profile more attractive in the eyes of voters for a future election.
On the other hand, the Democratic camp is not in favor of multiple candidacies. Hillary Clinton in 2016, Mitt Romney in 2012, John Kerry in 2004 and John McCain in 2008 chose not to try the experiment again. Regardless, Kamala Harris declared the day after her defeat that she intended to “keep fighting.”