US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Sunday that the pair have a strong work partnership and that there is no rivalry or tension between them.
During an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Buttigieg told host Chuck Todd that his focus is the work he is doing as a Cabinet member under President Joe Biden.
He flatly denied that coverage of Harris's political standing had affected their relationship.
She and I are part of a team that is disciplined and doesn't pay attention to what's being said. We are too busy with a job to do it. He said that the leader in this administration, with her leadership role, and I, and the president, and everybody else in the cabinet and across the administration are laser focused on getting the job done.
Biden has tasked the two Democrats with consequential work that supersedes political machinations, according to Buttigieg.
The president assigned us to take on projects and legislation of significance. He said that there was no room to get caught up in the parlor games and that he was proud to be a part of the Biden-Harris team.
Biden, Harris, and Buttigieg all ran against each other for the party's nomination, but the president emerged as the dominant force in the process after the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday.
While Harris exited the race before the Iowa caucuses, Buttigieg performed strongly in the first-in-the-nation state and New Hampshire before facing political turbulence in South Carolina and suspending his campaign in March 2020.
Biden, who served in the Senate from 1973 to 2009 before his tenure as vice president from 2009 to 2017, has pledged to be a bridge to the new generation of Democratic leaders, which would include Harris and Buttigieg.
There has been speculation for months that Biden might not run for reelection, but a recent Washington Post article confirmed that the president and his allies are preparing for a campaign.
