VP Kamala Harris mentions Biden just once during latest appearance — as she hits the campaign trail without the president

Vice President Kamala Harris has been pounding the pavement — making the case for another term for President Biden, but conspicuously only said his name once during a campaign appearance in New Orleans Saturday.

“In 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want to live in,” Harris, 59, told Essence Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga during a nearly 30-minute sit-down interview at Essence Fest, a major event hosted by the black women’s magazine — now in its 30th year.

Harris, who previously drew questions about her profile and portfolio within the Biden administration, has been thrust into the national spotlight following her boss’ dreadful June 27 debate performance.

Biden’s showing on stage against former President Donald Trump, in which he sounded hoarse and seemed to have difficulty completing thoughts coherently, set off a wave of panic among Democratic politicians and big-money donors, leading to several prominent Dems and newspapers calling for the 81-year-old to step aside.

As the ticket’s natural successor, top Democrats have begun raising the question of whether Harris — a former US Senator and California state attorney general — has a better chance of defeating former Trump than Biden.

The president’s continued strange behavior and unusual statements at public events have led to questions about his competency and deeply rattled faith in his ability to serve another term.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on “Meet the Press” Sunday that VP Harris could “overwhelmingly” win in a matchup with Trump, gushing that he felt she’d make a “phenomenal” commander-in-chief.

“I think she has the experience, the judgment, the leadership ability to be an extraordinary president,” Schiff told NBC’s Kristen Welker.

However Schiff stopped short of calling for Biden to step aside, instead urging the incumbent to consult people with “distance and objectivity” before deciding on the future of his candidacy.

Ahead of the vice president’s on-stage Q&A this weekend, members of the Congressional Black Caucus including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) threw cold water on notions that a change was coming to the Democratic ticket.

“There ain’t gonna be no other Democratic candidate,” the 17-term House member said to raucous applause from the crowd.

“It’s gonna be Biden and you know it.”

Rather than echoing Waters’ reassurances about Biden himself, Harris touted her own resume, and hit out at Trump’s 34 felony convictions and his threats to exact revenge against political rivals

“This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime,” Harris said, talking up the stakes of this year’s race.

“We have said it every four years, but this here one is it,” she said.

Her only mention of President Biden was in passing while referencing the administration’s efforts to cancel student debt.

Although swapping out the president for VP Harris has its supporters, at least conceptually, the change would be far from a slam-dunk for the Democrats.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after the debate, Harris isn’t faring much better than Biden, with 42% of respondents saying they favor her compared to 43% for Trump.

Five Thirty Eight polling shows Harris with a 37.1% approval rating and a 49.6% disapproval rating, compared to 36.9% and 57.1% for the president.

These numbers are not far off from those notched by Trump in the same poll, who received a 38.6% disapproval rating and 53.6% approval.