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Ashley Etienne: Kamala Harris comms director quits, Internet says she's 'fleeing sinking ship'

Being the communications director, Ashley Etienne would have been in charge of Harris' press and PR image

Kamala Harris' communications director Ashley Etienne is leaving the vice-president's office, it was reported on Thursday, November 18. Her departure comes in the midst of reports that there is a lot of in-fighting among Harris' staffers and the VP's image is being jeopardized as she is being increasingly sidelined by the Bidens and her poll numbers keep sliding down.

Ashley Etienne, a former staffer to Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, joined Harris' team shortly after the election. She had made it clear at the time that she would stay only a year. Being the communications director, Etienne would have been in charge of Harris' press and PR image, which has taken a serious beating in recent weeks. After CNN's bombshell report on the veep, a series of unflattering stories about her role has come forward, which involved in-fighting among her staff, and her allies complaining that the Biden administration is not properly utilizing her.

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The White House said that Etienne is leaving in December to pursue other opportunities. "Ashley is a valued member of the Vice President’s team, who has worked tirelessly to advance the goals of this administration. She is leaving the office in December to pursue other opportunities," a White House official told Daily Mail. 

Harris doesn't feel like she's being underutilized

In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos that aired on 'Good Morning America' on November 18,, Harris snapped at her critics who have suggested that she is being underused as vice-president. She made it clear that she doesn't feel like she's being underutilized by President Joe Biden and his team. "No. I don't," she said, "I am very, very excited about the work that we have accomplished but I am also absolutely, absolutely clear-eyed that there is a lot more to do and we're going to get it done."

She also listed her accomplishments, which included working to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill, her recent trip to France, and her presiding over the Senate. She also stressed her strong relationship with Biden and dismissed her low approval ratings which fell to 28% in a USA Today/Suffolk University poll of registered voters earlier this month. "Polls, they go up, they go down," Harris said. "But I think what is most important is that we remain consistent with what we need to do to deal with the issues that we're presented with at this moment."

As rumors of Biden looking to replace Harris spread in the wake of growing frustration among West Wing staff with her and her team, the VP said she and Biden have not spoken about the 2024 presidential race. "Absolutely not," she said when asked if Biden told her he would seek a second term. The White House has vigorously pushed back on, denying Harris is being sidelined as her poll numbers sink.

'Shade war goes hot'

Etienne quitting Harris' team has also played against the VP as social media mocked the turn of events. "Fleeing a sinking ship..." one of them said, while another noted, "The stampede has begun, with an evil cackle in the background." The next commented, "Trouble in #Paradise?! I can’t wait to hear how the #whitehouse spins this…" A third added, "Shade war goes hot." The next remarked, "MSNBC slot awaits."

One more quipped, "Still won’t solve the problem. It’s Harris… plain and simple." Another pointed out, "Sad part is she did an amazing job! Kamala’s popularity is going to tank worse now." A commenter tweeted, "Shows she’s one of the smart ones." A person reacted with, "Wow more racism/sexism forcing a strong black menstruating person out of her job."