Vice President Kamala Harris dismisses question about being on the ticket with Biden in 2024: 'I'm sorry, we are thinking about today'

• Vice President Kamala Harris was asked by NBC whether she would be Biden's running mate in 2024.

• "I'm sorry, we are thinking about today," Harris replied.

• Americans "sent us here to do a job, and right now, there's a lot of work to be done," she added.

In an interview for NBC's "Today," Vice President Kamala Harris swatted away a question about whether she'd be President Joe Biden's running mate in 2024.

Harris, who is facing historically low approval ratings for a vice president this early in a presidential term, told NBC's Craig Melvin why she took issue with the question.

"I'm sorry, we are thinking about today," Harris said in the interview, which aired Thursday. "I mean, honestly — I know why you're asking the question because this is part of the punditry and the gossip around places like Washington, DC.

"Let me just tell you something: We're focused on the things in front of us."

Harris cited affordable childcare as a priority before Melvin cut back in.

"So there've been no conversations about 2024?" Melvin said.

Harris didn't answer that, either.

"The American people sent us here to do a job, and right now, there's a lot of work to be done," Harris said. "And that is my focus, sincerely."

She added: "I really could care less about the high-class gossip on these issues."

Harris has given similar answers to questions about 2024 in the past, saying in November that she and Biden had "absolutely not" been discussing the next presidential election.

During President Barack Obama's first term, Biden, then the vice president, became the subject of similar speculation over whether he'd be on the ticket in 2012. The same thing happened to Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the 2020 election.

Insider reported in October that some Harris allies worried there would be a contested primary in 2024 — particularly one that would involve Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — if Biden decided not to run.

Biden has used certain terms when it comes to running for reelection, saying it is his "plan" and "expectation" to run again in 2024. He's also said it's his "expectation" that Harris will be on the ticket with him.

Read the original article on Business Insider