ANDREW STILES, THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON -- Vice President Kamala Harris heaped praise on President Joe Biden on Thursday, leading chants of “Thank you, Joe” in their first public appearance since Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris.

“I could speak all afternoon about the person that I am standing on the stage with,” Harris told a crowd of supporters in Maryland. “Our extraordinary president, Joe Biden.”

Biden returned the favor. “Folks, I have an incredible partner,” he said of Harris. “She’s going to make one hell of a president.”

As much as he seemed to appreciate Harris’s introduction, as well as the chanting, Biden was clearly still fuming inside after being forced to step down. He didn’t even try to smell Harris’s hair—a sign that something was off.

If Biden doubted the sincerity of his former running mate’s flattering remarks, it was not without good reason. Axios reported Wednesday that Harris “is hoping to distance herself” from Biden on the economy and other issues on which voters view him unfavorably.

Earlier this week, for example, Harris vowed that reducing inflation would be “a day one priority” if elected. (Fact check: She has been in office for more than 1,300 days.)

The rally in Maryland was intended to celebrate what the administration described as a new agreement to lower the cost of certain drugs for Medicare enrollees starting in 2026.

It was also a dress rehearsal for Harris’s next campaign event on Friday in North Carolina, where she is expected to unveil her first policy proposal since locking up the Democratic nomination.

Harris will propose government controls on food prices by banning “corporate price gouging.”

Many experts have denounced the proposal as nonsensical and unserious, an example of blatant political pandering in order to distance herself from the Biden administration’s abysmal record on inflation.

Meanwhile, some journalists who should know better have sought to assist the Harris campaign by treating it as a serious proposal worthy of consideration. (Fact check: It is not.)

Others, including pro-Harris commentator Josh Barro, have argued that the candidate’s endorsement of “dumb populist economic policies” was a sign that Harris is “focused on winning.”

Republicans, if they can stay on message, are eager to challenge the Biden-Harris record on the economy.

“Instead of taking responsibility for her radical votes and policies, Kamala is desperately trying to shift the blame to anyone but herself,” the Republican National Committee said in a statement on Thursday.

“Voters know that prices were lower four years ago under President Trump, which is why they will vote to send him back to the White House in November.”

If journalists ever decide to hold Harris accountable for her words and actions, she might struggle to articulate a coherent economic message while distancing herself from the administration in which she served and was reportedly the “last person in the room” on every important policy decision President Joe Biden made since 2021.