By Kamala Harris offered her list of America’s most effective presidents during a Friday appearance in Nashville. Conspicuously absent was the man who made her vice president.
Harris appeared at the National Urban League Conference, where organization President Marc Morial asked which presidents she considered the strongest in American history.
Morial: In your view, rank the top three most effective presidents in American history.
Kamala Harris: Don't make me do that… FDR did some good things… I credit Kennedy in terms of what he laid the groundwork for, and Johnson followed up on… of course, Barack Obama pic.twitter.com/5J8Yy2DIDG
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2026
“Oh Marc, don’t make me do that,” Harris responded before naming Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Harris praised Roosevelt for creating Social Security and embracing an expansive federal role during periods of national crisis. “He, he appreciated that government has in my mind three essential functions, which is public health, public safety and public education,” she said.
She went on to cite John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson before praising Barack Obama, whose name drew applause from the audience. Harris specifically highlighted Obama’s work to pass the Affordable Care Act.
Joe Biden, The Daily Caller noted, received no such recognition from the former vice president and likely frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2028.
The omission may have been less a snub than a rare moment of honesty. Biden was one of the worst presidents in American history. His administration presided over a historic border crisis, inflation that wiped out wage gains, the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and a prolonged effort by White House aides and media allies to conceal his physical and cognitive decline from the public.
Biden ended his presidency by pardoning Hunter Biden after repeatedly promising that he would not do so. He also issued preemptive pardons covering several other members of his family. Questions about his mental condition, the widespread use of an autopen and who was actually exercising presidential authority continued after he left office.
Harris was not merely an innocent bystander during those four years. Biden placed her in charge of addressing the “root causes” of illegal immigration as the administration dismantled Trump-era border policies and migrant encounters surged. Six House Democrats eventually joined Republicans in condemning her handling of the assignment.
The relationship between Biden and Harris has reportedly deteriorated since she lost the 2024 election. In her book, 107 Days, Harris criticized the Biden White House communications operation for allowing her to absorb much of the blame for the border disaster.
Biden had selected Harris as his running mate in 2020 and later endorsed her presidential campaign after withdrawing from the 2024 race. On Friday, however, Harris found room for four Democratic presidents without mentioning him once.
The Nashville appearance also offered an early look at the radical platform Harris could carry into another presidential campaign. She endorsed eliminating the Electoral College, expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices and granting statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
Kamala Harris: I know this is going to be controversial coming from me in particular, we need to revisit the electoral college. We need to revisit the point of expanding the court. We need to revisit, if they so want, statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C. pic.twitter.com/rxunBrIR0q
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2026
Asked whether she intends to run for president in 2028, Harris replied, “I have not made a decision,” adding that she remains “fully, sincerely, focused on these midterms.”
Despite her 2024 defeat, Harris remains a leading contender for the next Democratic presidential nomination. She has also begun reaching toward the party’s increasingly powerful progressive wing, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Harris may not be ready to announce another campaign. She already appears ready to leave Joe Biden—and the record they created together—behind.
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