Trahant Reports: It’s hard to walk away from power

President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff view a Fourth of July fireworks display over the National Mall from the Blue Room Balcony, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

This commentary first published on ICTnews.org. It is republished here with permission.

President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 campaign is extraordinary for so many reasons.

It’s hard to understate how hard it is to walk away from power. In my decades of reporting I have seen this story play out over and over.

Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater’s last term was unbelievably sad. And the toughest interview I have ever conducted was with Rep. Morris K. Udall when his Parkinson’s disease was so severe he could not talk. I could see his eyes, trying to communicate, but the words would not come out. I broke down crying. The only time that’s ever happened to me while covering a story. That interview is seared in memory.

And the most odd example was my last interview with Montana Sen. John Melcher. He had been defeated in a bid for re-election. I went to his private office on Capitol Hill and it was decorated exactly like his old Senate office. Even the office carpet used a giant Senate seal. I am not sure he was certain he was out of office when we talked – I remember shaking my head and wondering what I had just witnessed.

Of course, Biden was in a tough spot. Of all the challenges, the barrier of age – and I write this as a senior – is one that cannot be wished away. There is only one outcome ahead.

The Biden administration’s record in Indian Country will be hard to match. He appointed more Native Americans to office than any of his predecessors, by a long shot. His administration invested more capital in tribal nations than any other administration ever. And again by a long shot. He has reshaped the federal judiciary with more Native American judges (although there is still a lot of work to do in order to reach parity with the population).

As a lame duck, the president now has unique challenges. When you walk away from power, you also (at least in part) walk away from your team. Yes, some members of the administration will work hard between now and January, but expect many others to leave early.

That said: There are still some agenda items that could be accomplished. But the trick will now be to do it as a last step, instead of by someone who could potentially have four more years to get the work done.

What should tribal nations expect from a Kamala Harris administration? There is a lot to work with. As California’s attorney general she was perceived as being more focused on states than tribes. But that has largely shifted. She has very much been a part of the Biden administration’s focus on representation and investment.

I think it’s also important to note that Harris is the only sitting vice president to ever sit down with ICT. In that interview with Aliyah Chavez, she talked about her views as a prosecutor on the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis.

The other question about what happens next involves who the Democrats pick for their vice presidential candidate. There are so many interesting posibilities. Should Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer be selected, this election could be a referendum on abortion. (Reminding tribal communities about how so many Native women must continue to navigate the Hyde amendment that prohibits reproductive health services in facilities funded by the Indian Health Service.)

Or if the selection is Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, then Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan could be promoted to the top office. Or the promotion of someone who knows tribal issues deeply, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

It’s easy to say a day like this is historic. But it’s also a new story that is just starting.