Biden returned to the campaign stage with Harris

President Joe Biden is back on the campaign trail, facing the bittersweet transition from being a candidate for re-election to being a straight man for his vice president, Harry Harris.

Thursday marked the first time the two have shared a stage since Biden dropped out of the race and announced his endorsement of Harris at an event outside Washington. They were there to promote prescription drug savings that Biden has touted as part of the Post-COVID-19 Inflation Reduction Act.

Bloomberg reported that Biden is eager to help Harris defeat Republican candidate Donald Trump, but also needs to walk a fine line, trying to be careful not to let the heir who needs to put up his own brand stand in his shadow.

Harris faces the more difficult challenge of being careful to show loyalty to the boss she replaced while distancing herself from his unpopular policies. It is crucial that she take credit for the popularity gains of the past four years without hurting the feelings of voters who, not long ago, were seeking Mr. Biden's re-election.

Complicating matters is the private relationship between two leaders who have taken different political paths.

After his disastrous debate with Trump, Biden was stung by attacks from top Democratic officials. His painstakingly slow exit from the race underscored his conviction in those weeks that he was still the best person to beat his Republican challenger. In recent weeks, Biden has disappeared from national appearances, taking extended vacations in his home state of Delaware and largely avoiding public events.

But former President Barack Obama put an end to his desire for a second term and gave him a taste of the pain of serving for a long time for a president whose political skills were not trusted.