President Joe Biden has voted early in the presidential election, months after he dramatically dropped out and Kamala Harris replaced him on the Democratic ticket.
The 81-year-old president joined the nearly 50 million Americans who have already cast ballots in what could be one of the closest races in history.
Polls are deadlocked with just eight days left in the campaign, with former President Donald Trump and Harris focusing on the seven swing states likely to determine the winner.
Biden also took a swipe at Elon Musk for handing out $1 million checks to registered voters upon his departure.
“Tell him I’m registered,” the president joked as he proudly showed his “I voted” sticker to the press.
But in front of him at the polling place in New Castle, a voter in a MAGA hat stood up with the message “elect that motha f***er again.”
The commander-in-chief looked like an ordinary citizen as he stood in line with his Secret Service agents and greeted a woman in a wheelchair and pushed her into the polling station.
When he went to vote, he showed his driver’s license to the staff without being asked.
The 81-year-old president walked past a voter (left) wearing a MAGA hat with the message “chose that motha f***er again” before entering the polling station in New Castle
President Joe Biden has voted early in the presidential election, months after he dramatically dropped out and Kamala Harris replaced him on the Democratic ticket
Afterwards, he told reporters it was just sweet when asked if the day was bittersweet for him because he was no longer the Democratic nominee.
The president participated in early voting on this date four years ago, casting a vote for himself at the top of the list and Harris as his No. 2.
Four years later, he is now casting a vote for Harris.
Biden called Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night “embarrassing, just shameful” after a comic made a racist comment about Puerto Rico and Tucker Carlson said of Harris that she was the first “low IQ Samoan Malaysian former prosecutor with a low IQ is who ever was elected president. .’
“It’s beneath any president, but we’re getting used to that,” Biden added. “That’s why these elections are so important.”
Biden reiterated the point he has been making in recent days: that presidential pundits believe “character” is key.
“Every time he opens his mouth, he questions it,” the president said.
Biden hands over his driver’s license as proof of identity while voting early in New Castle, Delaware
Biden started his day with breakfast at The Legend Restaurant & Bakery in New Castle, Delaware, with Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is vying for Delaware’s open Senate seat.
Not many polls have been done because the race is not expected to be competitive, but a September poll showed Blunt leading Rochester by 20 points.
Biden, 81, smiles with his driver’s license in his hand as he waits to vote with other Delawareans
After casting his vote, the president pulls open the black curtain around the ballot box
The commander-in-chief looked like a regular citizen as he stood in line with his Secret Service agents and greeted a woman in a wheelchair.
The commander-in-chief proudly shows off his “I voted” sticker as he talks to the media
Since Biden dropped out of the race — due to a disastrous debate performance — he has rarely been seen alongside Democrats in competitive races.
“Well, I’ve done a lot of surrogate work,” he said when asked if he wanted to be used by more candidates. “And the fact is that I also had to be president at the same time.”
“I have been to all the battlegrounds, I have campaigned, but I also have to continue my job as vice president,” he added.
He campaigned in Pittsburgh on Saturday, addressing a smaller group of LiUNA union workers and asking them to help Harris cross the line.
Biden also delivered pizza to phone banking volunteers at another union headquarters.
He appeared alongside Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania – who is not up for re-election – and who has lost the support of the progressive community over his support of Israel during the Gaza war.
Sen. Bob Casey, whose race against Republican David McCormick is tightening, was not present.
Biden leaves The Legend Restaurant & Bakery with Democratic Rep. candidate Lisa Blunt Rochester. and Senate
This week, Biden travels to Baltimore on official business to talk infrastructure. He will also return to the swing state of Pennsylvania on Friday, en route to Philadelphia.
The fact that the incumbent president is not being deployed more heavily on the campaign trail with eight days to go speaks volumes about the challenges facing Harris – as she seeks to represent change but is currently in office.
There are currently no planned events where Biden and Harris will appear together before Election Day.
Biden is not even expected to attend Harris’ speech on the Ellipse on Tuesday night, despite the fact that it is literally in the president’s backyard.
Axios reported Monday that this is intentional, as Biden’s team has kept open dates for the president to come before Harris, and those days have passed without an invite.
Harris’ team continues to respond that they will contact the president’s people — as they are reluctant to say candidly that they believe Biden is a political liability.
Biden greets a woman outside a polling place in New Castle, Delaware, on Monday before casting his vote in the presidential election
One Axios source likened it to a slow-moving breakup.
However, many on Biden’s team — including some working on the Delaware-based campaign Harris inherited — believe that thinking is a mistake, as the president could still shore up support for Harris among the white working class, a demographic group that approaches the MAGA movement with open arms.
It is reminiscent of Vice President Al Gore keeping President Bill Clinton at arm’s length after the Monica Lewinsky affair during his failed White House run in 2000.
In retrospect, the criticism of Clinton may have cost him the race, as Gore won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to Republican George W. Bush.
One key difference: At that point in his presidency, Clinton had an approval rating of 57 percent and a disapproval rating of 38 percent.
Biden’s current approval rating stands at 39 percent.
When asked by DailyMail.com if he would be campaigning with Harris this week, Biden replied: “I’ve been out and about.”
‘We talk all the time. And they ask me where they think I should be to best help them. I’m going to Pennsylvania. I’m going to Scranton and a few other places,” the president said.
