For the third consecutive year, Kamala Harris led the United States delegation to the Munich Security Conference. In 2022, the vice president called the gathering a historic and decisive moment five days before Russia invaded Ukraine. The following year she criticized Moscow for war crimes. As the race continues, U.S. aid to Kyiv faces congressional blockage, and Donald Trump has issued alarming statements that could embolden Vladimir Putin to strike NATO members. This time, Harris carried a message favoring multilateralism and opposing authoritarianism, aiming to reassure allies that the frontrunner in the Republican race will not derail transatlantic security.
It falls to President Joe Biden and Harris to prevent a potential Trump return to the White House. Polls show the path is complex, shaped by multiple factors. A basic concern is Biden’s advancing age, a point underscored by the findings of special prosecutor Robert Hur, which raised questions about the president’s memory and mental sharpness and intensified interest in Harris as a potential successor.
Neither the inquiry nor the questions are new. They have shadowed the former California prosecutor and senator since Biden chose her to join him on the ticket in 2020. Both the upcoming election and Harris’s performance as the first-generation American daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India have been scrutinized.
Donors, strategists, journalists, and columnists have shown skepticism about Harris remaining as number two in 2024, while some prominent Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren, have expressed reservations. Warren personally called Harris to apologize after recent remarks.
Under the radar
Harris faces perceptions of a low-profile vice presidency. External factors limited her public visibility, such as her role during the pandemic and the need to be in Washington when Democratic votes were needed in a closely divided Senate.
Early impressions also reflected choices of her own. The first months on the job were marked by reports of a commanding work environment in her office, a rapid turnover of staff, and a focus on voting rights, even when legislative advances seemed unlikely in the split Congress. She also had to confront the root causes of migration from Central America.
Her first regional trip, where she told migrants, “Do not come to the United States,” drew criticism from the left and from activists who questioned her progressive credentials. After a calamitous television interview on immigration in June 2021, Harris retreated from the spotlight, reduced her public agenda, and gradually became perceived as a more elusive vice president.
The second-in-command role
Joel Goldstein, a law professor at Saint Louis University and author of two books on the presidency, describes Harris’s early low visibility as partly a misreading of the role. He notes that being vice president comes with a degree of invisibility, and that former vice presidents also faced similar questions about impact, even when they were actively shaping policy behind the scenes.
Goldstein highlights Harris’s intensive international schedule, including trips to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. He emphasizes how close she has been to Biden in meetings and crisis moments, allowing her to gain experience in handling major national and global issues that few other politicians have. At the national level, she is taking on more consequential work.
Her evolving public profile is evident in recent months. Harris has embraced a proactive stance, engaging key voter groups such as women, young people, and minorities, many of whom have become disaffected from Biden over various foreign policy questions, including reactions to the Israel-Palestine crisis.
Currently, Harris shares responsibility for new initiatives like the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and a stronger focus on climate change. A recent lecture series on higher education, framed as defending freedoms, was followed by a campaign addressing reproductive rights. She speaks with a direct, forceful voice on the core issue of abortion rights and the consequences of changes to Supreme Court protections.
Harris now appears comfortable with the growing visibility and leadership role, earning praise from unexpected quarters. Even partisan voices have acknowledged moments of effective style in her public appearances. Both Trump and Nikki Haley attack her fiercely, using her as a wedge to mobilize voters concerned about the age and the potential future for the presidency.
Harris defends the president with conviction, including after Hur’s report. When asked about contingency scenarios, she has consistently answered, “I am prepared.”