Harris, Biden to campaign together for first time since he dropped out of presidential race

The White House announced Friday morning that Vice President Harris and President Biden will travel together next week for the first time since Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race.

In an effort to burnish his accomplishments and advocate for a new Democratic ticket in his final months in office, the pair will travel to Maryland on Thursday to "discuss  progress toward lowering costs for Americans," according to a White House statement.
Harris has given Democrats a boost since catapulting her to the top of the list after  Biden announced he was dropping out of the race following a disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump that raised concerns about his age and mental health.
The first female, Black and South Asian vice president in U.S. history has held a series of well-attended rallies, raising record  amounts and erasing Trump's lead in the polls.
In contrast,  Biden has largely refrained from public events in his "lame-duck" presidency with nearly six months left until his successor takes office in January.  The president is currently enjoying a long weekend at his Delaware beach house, but no major political appearances were expected to support  Harris until the Democratic National Convention, which begins in Chicago on August 19.
But there are signs that  Biden is keen to promote his own achievements as he prepares to retire from a nearly 50-year political career.
Part of that could be doing everything in his power to ensure Harris' victory over Trump, Harris' nemesis and the man he defeated in the 2020 election.
Harris was heavily present at  Biden's side last week during the historic moment  when  both countries welcomed American journalist Evan Gershkovich and other detainees who were released as part of a major prisoner swap with Russia.
According to a Politico report, Harris is now hoping to support Biden in battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, where she remains popular, especially among older white voters.  But the outlet said he plans to keep Harris in the spotlight and begin a limited campaign schedule, mostly in the fall.
Meanwhile, Biden jumped into the breach earlier this week to warn of a repeat of the events following the 2020 election, when Trump denied his defeat and his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol
In his first interview since withdrawing from the presidential race, he told the upcoming show "alkhabrfdakika Sunday Morning" that he has "no confidence at all" that there would be a peaceful transfer of power if Trump were to lose a second time.
Another priority for  Biden's remaining term is pushing for a ceasefire to end the Israeli-Hamas war  in the Gaza Strip, an issue that  still divides Democrats.
Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar have called on the warring parties to resume talks on August 15, the same day he will be presenting jointly with Harris, to encourage an agreement.
The president and Harris met for a briefing on the situation in  the Middle East earlier this week.