US President Joe Biden appeared at a campaign event with Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for the first time since dropping out of the presidential race.
Both spoke at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday to mark Labor Day. They hope to enlist the support of unions and blue-collar workers.
Pennsylvania is seen as a key battleground in the Nov. 5 election, in which Harris will face former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Biden, 81, was the presidential nominee until July, when he abruptly dropped out of the race following a debate performance that raised concerns about his age.
On Monday, Biden vowed he would “stand by” and “do everything I can to help” in the final stretch of the race. He condemned Trump for being anti-union and said, “I would rather cross the border [a picket line] that one walks.”
“I have no problem with being on the picket lines,” said Biden, who last year became the first US president in history to join striking workers. “Neither does Kamala.”
“I know her. I trust her. The first decision I made as a candidate in 2020 was to choose her as my vice president,” he said. “It was the best decision I made as president of the United States of America.”
Harris, meanwhile, led a chant of “Thank you, Joe” before pledging to continue Biden’s legacy as the “most pro-union administration in American history.”
Echoing Biden, he also said he would work to keep the country's steel production under American control.
In March, Biden said industrial giant US Steel Corp, which agreed to be acquired by Japan's Nippon Steel for $14.9 billion, should remain a domestically-owned American company.
“We will continue to strengthen America's manufacturing sector,” Harris said.
“And on that point… US Steel is a historic American company, and it is vital to our nation to maintain strong American steel companies. I couldn’t agree more with President Biden: US Steel must remain American-owned and operated.”
Harris and Biden appeared together at the Democratic National Convention and at a White House event on Medicare drug price cuts last month. However, the Pittsburgh event was their first joint appearance at a campaign rally since Harris officially became the nominee.
Earlier in the day, the vice president held an event in Detroit, Michigan – another key battleground state – where she again faced protesters calling on Washington to immediately shift its material and political support to Israel amid its ongoing war on Gaza.
'Thread this needle very fine'
Reporting from Pittsburgh, Al Jazeera's Phil Lavelle said that while Harris wanted to benefit from her association with Biden, she also wanted people to know she was different from him.
“She has to find the balance between being seen as associated with Joe Biden and being tied to his perceived achievement… because Joe Biden, remember, was the first president to go on picket lines. He is seen as very pro-union,” she said.
“At the same time, she has to forge her own path and be seen as a candidate for change, which is what she is trying to project, a candidate for change,” Lavelle said.
“Of course, the other side says this is not true. They say she is part of the current administration. How can she be a changed candidate?”
Jeremy Zogby, an independent pollster, said it will be particularly important for Harris to make a distinction on the economy, which has been central to Republican attacks on the Biden administration.
Zogby added that while some polls suggest Harris has a lead over Trump nationally and in key states, much could change before Election Day. Harris and Trump will face off in their first debate on Sept. 10.
“The disputed states are called that because the needle is always moving,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Right now, we're coming out of this honeymoon wave with Kamala, where the focus was on personality.
“I feel like that is coming to an end and that the issues will come back to the forefront. Between now and Election Day, a lot of things are going to happen.”
