By james art 
With the election less than 48 hours away, Kamala Harris and her top Democratic allies are frantically campaigning across the country.
The vice president is moving from state to state in a last-minute bid to pick up crucial votes that could help her in one of the closest elections in history.
But there is a notable absence from a usually very powerful supporter: President Joe Biden.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief spent part of Sunday holed up at the exclusive Fieldstone Golf Club near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
He didn’t play, but he did have lunch with his longtime friend and confidant, former Sen. Ted Kaufman, after a week he — and the Harris campaign — would rather forget.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief spent part of Sunday holed up at the Fieldstone Golf Club near his home in Wilmington, Delaware
Joe Biden has been somewhat absent from the campaign trail
A series of gaffes by Biden meant he stole the spotlight from his vice president at a critical time in her battle with Donald Trump.
In his first unprovoked gaffe, Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” during a fundraising call in the middle of Harris’ “closing” speech outside the White House on Tuesday night.
On Saturday, at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, he raised eyebrows by calling Trump and his MAGA cronies the kind of guys you’d want to “kick a**.”
Biden kept her schedule light so she could follow in Harris’ footsteps, but her campaign fell short.
Instead, he went out on his own and attracted unwanted press coverage.
In his first unprovoked gaffe, Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” during a fundraising call in the middle of Harris’ “closing” speech outside the White House on Tuesday night
For some, Biden staying low may not be such a bad thing.
Former Obama columnist Jon Favreau said Friday that the best thing Biden could do for the Harris campaign was to focus on his final months in office.
“I looked at the numbers, I looked at the race, and I said I’m going to focus on being president for the next few days, and that’s probably the best thing he can do not only for the Harris campaign, but for himself and his legacy, too,” Favreau said on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, left, greets Martha Roland, mother of Elam Barber Shop owner Roland Elam Jr., as others look on before participating in a roundtable discussion with local leaders at Elam’s Barber Shop in Pontiac, Michigan, Sunday, November 3, 2024
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford, Mich., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, en route to Lansing, Mich.
Harris responded to Biden’s “garbage” comments less than 24 hours later and condemned the negative comments for all voters.
“First, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
Favreau added: “I actually think it was an opportunity for her that she used to separate herself a little bit from Joe Biden, which she was – that was one of her big challenges – and I think now she can say in these last couple of days, “Look, I’m here trying to fight for every vote and trying to bring people together and end the division in this country and Donald Trump.”