Elizabeth Warren, Mike Bloomberg emerge as potential picks for Joe Biden's cabinet
With Joe Biden having secured a lead over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination in a virtual two-man show now, people close to the former vice president have even started discussing names to fill up a potential cabinet led by him. Even names like Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg, who till recently were contesting against Biden, feature among the potential picks along with some big bankers.
Biden’s campaign received a massive boost after a disappointing start to the primaries when he bagged South Carolina on February 29 and followed it up with wins in 10 out of 14 states on Super Tuesday (March 3). The two candidates still have a bridgeable gap of 81 delegates and Biden will need another strong performance on the mini Super Tuesday on March 10 when six states will go to primaries/caucuses.
Warren as treasury secretary?
Among those whose names are doing rounds as potential members of a Biden administration, Warren could be the treasury secretary, Axios reported. The senator from Massachusetts called off her dismal campaign after the Super Tuesday debacle. Her campaign was based on anti-corruption and regulation of big banks and corporations though she could not win a single primary. The 70-year-old, who has not endorsed anybody as the candidate, could also be a vice presidential pick in case Biden needs to improve his support on the left after a long campaign against the senator from Vermont, it was reported.
Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor, was once considered a beneficiary of Biden’s fall but the billionaire candidate had a terrible Super Tuesday (he won only American Samoa) despite spending millions and subsequently dropped out and endorsed Biden. He could be rewarded with the responsibility of running the World Bank.
Biden’s advisers expect former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, another Democratic candidate who quit the race ahead of the Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden, to also bag a prominent position - like the ambassador to the UN or a US trade representative.
Harris, Booker, Patrick also in the reckoning
California Senator Kamala Harris is also in the scheme of things. Biden had, in fact, said soon after Harris dropped out of the race in December that he would consider her as his vice-presidential mate if he wins the nomination even though he had some moments of fierce debate with the latter. Harris also has endorsed Biden saying she believes in him. Besides Harris, another colored former presidential candidate Cory Booker and Deval Patrick are also the potential picks as the vice president.
Among the prominent bankers in the list are Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO and Anna Finucane, the vice chairman of Bank of America. Both have been listed as a possible pick for the treasury.
Biden’s advisor Symone Sanders, however, trashed the Axios report. In a tweet, she called it “hilariously ridiculous” and “inaccurate” and said the campaign was trying to win the voters’ trust at the moment. Biden has been accused by Sanders of taking campaign money from billionaires. Even former candidates like Warren accused him of catering to big banks while serving as the senator from Delaware in the past.