Fox News LA’s Elex Michaelson said there has been no explanation at this time for the VP’s sudden change of plans:
VP Kamala Harris cancelled her trip to Los Angeles tonight at the last minute and returned to the White House.
It’s not clear why.
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) December 20, 2024
However, he theorized that Harris had returned in case she needed to be a tie-breaking vote in the ongoing saga of the budget negotiations:
A likely explanation is Harris wants to be in D.C. in case her tiebreaking vote in the U.S. Senate is needed to avert/end a government shutdown
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) December 20, 2024
However, this doesn’t explain why Biden returned from another one of his frequent leisure trips. Considering his current low visibility, what role would he have in negotiations? A Twitter account linked to Senator Mike Lee from Utah raised suspicions:
Is this a 25A moment? https://t.co/FzfdZUJ9mX
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) December 20, 2024
MyNewsLA reports:
Vice President Kamala Harris canceled plans to fly to Los Angeles Thursday evening.
Vice President Harris was supposed to land at Los Angeles International Airport at 11:35 p.m. on Thursday, as per the White House schedule. Yet, her office announced a sudden change of plans around noon on Thursday, stating she would stay in Washington, D.C. instead of traveling to Los Angeles.
>@VP has canceled her trip to Los Angeles as a shutdown approaches. pic.twitter.com/WtBy5d4LAj
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 19, 2024
The reasons for Biden’s return were not clear either:
President Biden is returning to the White House from Delaware on Thursday evening as a partial government shutdown looms.
Biden is scheduled to arrive in Washington at 5:30 p.m., according to his official schedule.
A bipartisan spending package is facing challenges after President Trump criticized its contents, particularly mentioning the proposed pay raise for Congress members and the absence of measures to tackle the nation’s mounting debt. The current national debt stands at $36.1 trillion.
Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a bill to avoid a shutdown.
He looked haunted and strange as he shuffled gingerly across the White House lawn with Jill and his grandson Beau and mostly ignored the reporters who were shouting questions at him.
Joe Biden stares blankly at the ground as he returns from Delaware for his final month occupying the White House.
This will culminate the worst presidency in US history.pic.twitter.com/bv5JnAoi7N
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) December 20, 2024