VP Kamala Harris has a seat at the big kid’s table, and the White House wants to make sure you know it. 

POLITICO looked at reports, briefings, and comments from top officials and found that since July, when Biden said he would quit the presidential race and support Harris, the administration has talked about Harris more in public statements about foreign affairs. 

Recently, Harris has been mentioned for joining calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and taking part in negotiations. National security adviser Jake Sullivan recognized her amped-up “role” in foreign policy at a news conference in China. 

Mentioning Harris, or any vice president, is unusual and seems to be a way to boost her image. This is especially important as she deals with questions about her skills in handling international issues and faces a tough competitor like former President Donald Trump. 

Previously, mentions of Harris were rare. In fact, between October 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel, and July 25, POLITICO found no mention of Harris in official summaries or reports about Biden’s calls with the Israeli leader. 

But now, the White House said that Harris had been present for all of Biden’s talks with Netanyahu, and photos released by the White House in October showed Harris in the room during these calls. 

Halie Soifer, Harris’s national security adviser in the Senate, said that it is significant that the vice president is there for these calls. 

John Hannah, a foreign policy aide who worked with both Democratic and Republican administrations, thinks the White House is trying to make Harris’s foreign policy experience seem more impressive than it is. 

The increased mentions of Harris in national security talks come as she has emphasized her role in the Biden administration’s “major foreign policy successes,” especially with Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific. In her August 22 speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris highlighted her efforts to support Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.  

Republicans, on the other hand, have used Harris’s role in foreign policy to criticize the administration’s challenges in Afghanistan and the Middle East. They question her ability to keep the country safe and advance U.S. interests. 

The White House and Harris’s supporters say she has been crucial in making big foreign policy decisions for the Biden administration. A statement from the Biden administration claims President Biden has depended on the vice president’s judgment and teamwork to deal with significant foreign policy problems America faces “from the start.” 

In a joint op-ed published in The Washington Post on August 5, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that President Biden and Vice President Harris led the administration’s efforts to build strong ties, calling it one of the most “important and least told stories” in foreign policy. 

The White House has also highlighted Harris’s work with European allies. In early August, top officials praised Harris for arranging a multi-country prisoner swap that led to the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, and Paul Whelan. 

At a press briefing on August 1, Sullivan told reporters that Harris convinced Germany to agree to parts of the swap deal. A senior official noted that Harris suggested trading Vadim Krasikov, a key figure in the agreement, during the 2024 Munich Security Conference. According to German and American officials, Harris also helped persuade Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob to include two Russian spies in the agreement. 

Before she became vice president, Harris had a little experience in foreign policy from serving on the Senate Intelligence and Homeland Security committees. She wasn’t considered a big player on Capitol Hill. 

Hannah, now a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said that recent announcements showing her increased involvement in foreign policy events are part of an effort to “play catch-up” and gloss over her weaknesses. 

But the idea of Harris sitting at the table with the big boys doesn’t inspire confidence. It brings to mind Thanksgiving dinners when the tweens are allowed to sit with the adults. Sit down and color your placemat, ma’am. The grown-ups are talking.