Harris says she's ready to step into role of president if Biden is unwell: 'May have to take over'
Vice President Kamala Harris said during an interview Wednesday that she was ready to fulfill her constitutional duty to assume the presidency should President Biden be unable to govern as questions swirl around his health and age.
Biden, who is 80 and is turning 81 in November, continues to be the oldest serving president in U.S. history. Should Democrats win again in 2024, he will be 82 before he is sworn into a potential second term and would be 86 at the end of it. Harris described the idea of possibly stepping into the role of president as "hypothetical" but said she was ready.
"Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition," Harris told The Associated Press in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was attending a regional summit. "But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president — understands that when they take the oath they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president."
She added, "I’m no different."