Pictured: Kamala Harris seen for first time with Joe Biden since election loss

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris pictured together for the first time since the election
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris pictured together for the first time since the election - Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

Kamala Harris was seen for the first time with Joe Biden since the Democrats’ humiliating loss in the 2024 election.

The US president laid a wreath Monday to honour the nation’s fallen soldiers on Veterans Day, an event marking his first appearance with his vice president since her election defeat last week.

The ceremony, at historic Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, is also the first time Harris has been seen in public since her Nov 6 speech in which she conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump.

Both remained straight-faced during the ceremony
Both remained straight-faced during the ceremony - Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
There was very little interaction between the two
There was very little interaction between the two - Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

Democrats, facing a painful reckoning over their drubbing, have begun soul-searching internal discussions - and some not-so-private blaming - over what caused Harris’s loss, with some pointing to Biden’s initial insistence on running again at age 81, despite having promised to be a bridge president to the next generation.

Earlier Monday Biden hosted veterans at the White House to mark the holiday before heading to Arlington, the final resting place of two presidents, generals from all major US wars, and thousands of other military personnel.

Biden and Harris, both dressed in dark suits, placed their hands on their hearts before participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Hands on hearts for the ceremony
Hands on hearts for the ceremony - AP/Mark Schiefelbein
Kamala Harris did share a smile with her husband Doug Emhoff, sitting next to Jill Biden
Kamala Harris did share a smile with her husband Doug Emhoff, sitting next to Jill Biden - Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

The president went on to deliver remarks at the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater, thanking veterans for their service and sacrifice.

The ceremony comes ahead of Biden hosting Trump at the White House on Wednesday.

The Republican has begun naming loyalists to his new administration.

He announced he is bringing a hardline immigration official, Tom Homan, back into the fold to serve as his so-called “border czar,” and rightwing congresswoman Elise Stefanik to be US ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump himself has long claimed he is a fierce supporter of America’s military, but he has made a series of controversial comments about veterans.

His longest-serving White House chief of staff, retired general John Kelly, has said the Republican leader privately disparaged US servicemembers, including describing those who died or were imprisoned defending America as “suckers” and “losers.”

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