Yesterday, it was the turn of the candidates for vice president to debate as Mike Pence faced off with Kamala Harris. Democrat Harris accused US President Donald Trump of “the greatest failure of any presidential administration” in history for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Vice President Pence, a Republican, said her party’s pandemic plan amounted to “plagiarism”. Mr Biden has taken a commanding lead in the election campaign according to the vast majority of polls after the US President’s treatment for coronavirus. A CNN poll released this week has the Democrat a remarkable 16 points ahead of his Republican opponent.
Not only does the survey put President Trump in a perilous position, but nine out of 10 people polled said their mind was made up ahead of election day.
This could have a significant impact on the UK both in the context of Brexit, and the special relationship between London and Washington.
That’s because, Sir Kim Darroch, the former UK ambassador to the US, warned this week that there may be ill-feeling between Mr Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He said at Cheltenham Literature Festival: “I hesitate to say this, but there will be some Obama people in a Biden administration and they remember some of the things that the current Prime Minister said about Obama whether as a newspaper columnist or whether it was Mayor of London.
“I promise you there is still some resentment and unhappiness over that. I’m not sure there will be, you know, quite the warm, welcoming embrace from Mr Biden as it would from Mr Trump.
“I think there are some question marks if Mr Biden wins.”
The fiery clash between Mr Obama and Mr Trump came in 2016.
Mr Johnson said the removal of a bust of Winston Churchill from Mr Obama’s office was seen by some as a sign of an “ancestral dislike of the British Empire”, and said the former US President has a “part-Kenyan” ancestry.
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“It’s there voluntarily because I can do anything on the second floor. I love the guy.”
Mr Biden, who was vice president under Mr Obama, has also been a critic of Brexit.
Mr Biden said during the Brexit process that US interests in the UK are “diminished” because of the country’s decision to leave the bloc.
While making the talk at Chatham House, he also admitted that were he British, he would have voted Remain.
The former Vice President said: “Had I been a Member of Parliament, had I been a British citizen, I would have voted against leaving.
“From the US perspective, US interests are diminished with Great Britain not being an integral part of Europe and being able to bring influence.
“There’s growing awareness that Britain played a role in Europe the last 30 years that went well beyond the notion of open borders and trade, being able to influence attitudes.”
