Kamala Harris ‘Is Washington’s Queen of Mean’: Insiders Reveal How She Terrifies Biden, Bullies Staff and Insults Other Leaders
July 23 2024, Published 7:51 p.m. ET
Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris was plagued by a splintered relationship with President Joe Biden, staffers who couldn't stand her, unthinking insults about her fellow Americans, and diplomatic disasters during her time as vice president, Beltway insiders told RadarOnline.com.
Yet despite her struggles with popularity as second-in-command, Harris, 59, was neck-and-neck with her rival, Donald Trump, in national polls as the country waited to hear Biden speak from the Oval Office for the first time since he dropped out of the race.
Harris quickly accepted the nomination after Biden endorsed his number-two in his exit announcement on Sunday. Two days later, she kicked off her campaign with a trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin — where the GOP recently gave Trump and his newly chosen VP candidate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, their official nominations.
An NPR/PBS News/Marist College poll released on Tuesday showed that 45% of voters surveyed the previous day favored Harris: a hairline below Trump's 46%. Harris was also backed by a majority of Democratic delegates as of Tuesday, according to NBC News projections, solidifying her place as the party's front-runner.
New York Times pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson also wrote the same day that based on her analysis of the recent political upheaval: "The idea of Ms. Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee will take a few days to ripple through the public consciousness. Even then, it will take a few days for pollsters to go back out, ask people their views and then crunch the numbers."
But public approval has been hard for Harris to come by in the past, according to sources who claim she was loathed by her own staff.
She's been labeled the "Queen of Mean" for her "soul-destroying" style that's driven nine out of every 10 people who worked for her over the past four years to pack their bags, as RadarOnline.com reported. Those who called it quits included her chief spokesperson, communications director, and head of speechwriting.
An insider said working under Harris made for "an abusive environment...where people feel treated like s---.”
A former staffer added: "It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work."
“With Kamala, you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence.”
Harris and Biden were even said to frequently butt heads, with one tipster saying: "They hate each other."
The source claimed that Biden was "terrified" Harris would "drag down the 2024 presidential ticket," saying the president chose her as his VP "out of a sense of obligation to check an historic box in naming the first female vice president of color."
She also seemed to have a knack for offending people, once dissing rural Americans by saying they would have a tough time getting photocopies of voter IDs because "there's no Kinkos" or "OfficeMax near them".
And while crusading against abortion laws, she told Virginia voters: "Don't Texas Virginia," drawing ire from the Lone Star State.
Harris also slighted South Korean President Moon Jae-in by wiping her fingers on her dress after shaking hands with him, applauded a student who accused Israel of ethnic genocide, and was caught speaking to French scientists with a fake accent.