US Vice President Kamala Harris hailed Joe Biden's "unmatched" legacy Monday in her first public appearance since his shock election race exit, as Democrats rapidly coalesced around her to lead the party against Donald Trump in November.
In a strikingly symbolic moment, the vice president hosted a ceremony for college athletes at the White House while Biden remained stuck in isolation with Covid at his Delaware beach house.
A flood of Democratic leaders has backed 59-year-old Ms Harris as the party's new candidate for November's election, building momentum for a lightning-fast coronation despite some calls to show transparency with an open primary.
But America's first Black woman vice president did not mention her sudden elevation to likely presidential candidate, and kept the focus instead on Biden and the achievements of his one-term presidency.
"Joe Biden's legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history," Ms Harris said in her brief remarks on the White House South Lawn, as a light rain fell.
Some of her sporting metaphors did seem to nod towards the political race ahead of her, though, as she talked of bringing home the gold and "what it means to commit and to persevere."
Ms Harris will make a first trip to campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, later Monday — not far from Rehoboth Beach, where Biden has spent most of the last week nursing his Covid infection.
'Let's win this'
Biden finally stepped aside from the 2024 race on Sunday after three weeks of pressure sparked by a disastrous debate performance that raised fears about his age and mental acuity.
He immediately endorsed Ms Harris, and earlier Monday a slew of Democratic heavyweights added their backing, including a number seen as potential picks for her running mate.
"Let's win this," posted Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, announcing her support in tandem with the governors of Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, also declared his support, as did Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Ms Harris must still win over some key hold-outs if she is to wrap up the nomination, but it could happen as early as a remote ballot on August 1, or failing that by the Democratic National Convention starting August 19.
Ms Harris's campaign said it had raised a stunning $49.6 million in grassroots donations since Sunday.
She spent more than 10 hours Sunday placing calls to over 100 party leaders and other figures, a person familiar with her schedule said — reportedly including former president Barack Obama, who has yet to back her.
The stunning withdrawal by Biden has completely upended the 2024 race, transforming a long slog between two unpopular elderly men into one of the most compelling in modern US presidential history.
The move has brought a jolt of energy to a demoralized party that Ms Harris could now unify, and could give America its first female president.
'Threat to democracy'
It has also hit Republicans hard, with former president Trump, 78 — now the oldest presidential nominee in US history — having to completely retool a strategy that had been built around attacking Biden over his age and physical frailty.
Ms Harris's entry not only flips the age issue but puts Trump — a convicted felon who has faced a series of legal cases over sexual assault — up against a woman and former prosecutor.
Trump has seemed to find it hard to move on from his old opponent.
He launched a series of invective-filled social media posts on Sunday and Monday after Biden quit, mocking the president's age and saying he and Ms Harris posed a "threat to democracy."
Republicans including his running mate J.D. Vance have meanwhile focused on calling on Biden to stand down as president, saying if he is not fit to run he cannot be fit to be in the Oval Office.
Biden said on X on Monday that he would "continue" to work for Americans "today, tomorrow, and every day that I have the honor of being your president."
The challenges facing Ms Harris remain daunting, however, with less than four months until election day.
The vice president has long suffered from poor approval ratings after a lackluster first two years in the White House. She is polling largely neck-and-neck with Trump in the polls that have looked at a direct match up.
