Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden appeared together at an event in Maryland for the first time since the president ended his campaign for a second term and Ms. Harris replaced him as the Democratic nominee.
Thursday’s event celebrates a new deal announced by the Biden administration that will dramatically cut the cost of 10 popular prescription drugs for millions of Americans.
But it also offered a glimpse into the couple’s dynamic, weeks after the Democratic nominee was reshuffled. Mr. Biden praised Ms. Harris, expressing his support for her in front of the crowd.
“I have a great partner in the progress we’ve made,” the president said. “She’s going to be a great president.”
The White House said about 2,300 people attended Thursday’s rally in Upper Marlboro, Maryland – a Democratic stronghold less than an hour from Washington DC.
But more than policy announcements, Mr. Biden pushed his vice president. He brought the crowd to its feet several times.
Ms. Harris had similar warm feelings.
“There is so much love in this room for our president,” she said. “Few leaders in our nation have done more, on so many issues, including expanding access to affordable health care, than Joe Biden.”
Thousands of people lined up in the summer heat for a chance to hear Mr Biden and Ms Harris speak. Videos on social media showed hundreds still lining up as the venue filled to capacity.
This is the latest in a series of events that Ms. Harris has organized that have attracted large crowds of supporters, marking a notable change in energy in the presidential race.
The enthusiasm is also showing up in polling data. A recent survey from the Cook Political Report found Harris erasing former President Donald Trump’s lead in polls in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Vivian Strong waited three hours to attend the event on Thursday. She hoped to be part of the historic moment, she told the BBC.
“I feel a real sense of urgency to make sure she gets elected,” she said. “I would hate to have another administration of the other.”
Before the president and vice president took the stage, some supporters led the crowd in chants from Howard University — the historically black college that Harris attended in Washington, DC.
Many of the vice president’s supporters wore pink and green, the colors of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority, of which Harris is a member.
Linda Jones, a Howard alumna and AKA member, said their shared identity excited her. But she was also eager to hear Mr. Biden speak.
“I’m so happy that President Biden got something he worked so hard for,” Ms Jones told the BBC, referring to the prescription drug deal. “He’s a good man and I felt bad that he left with a cloud, so now I feel [this policy] is another boost for him.”
