The disappearing Bidens: A quiet end to a presidency

• Vice President Kamala Harris — who has praised Biden but doesn't routinely talk about him in her speeches — has had just one campaign event with him along with a few official events in Washington.
• First Lady Jill Biden also has largely withdrawn from campaign events, and Harris' team hasn't pushed for her to do them, people familiar with the matter told Axios.

By the numbers: Since dropping out on July 21, Joe Biden has scheduled just two public appearances before 11am, none before 10am, and five after 5pm, according to an Axios analysis of Biden's schedules.

• With one exception, all publicly scheduled calls and meetings with other world leaders have been between 11am and 5pm — a sign of how Biden's staff continues to narrow his work hours as they manage his stamina.

Even before the disastrous nighttime debate in June that led to the end of his re-election campaign, Biden's aides had privately noted that he's reliably on message between 10am and 4pm — and more likely to get fatigued and have trouble speaking outside those hours.

• Before he withdrew from the race, Biden tried to reassure Democratic governors that he would get more sleep to avoid a repeat debate performance, and would stop scheduling events after 8pm.

• Some Biden aides and close allies believe he's been aging more rapidly in recent months under the stress of the job and the legal troubles of his son, Hunter (the White House disputes this).
• Biden has sat for just two interviews since July 21, despite lingering questions about his mental fitness.

Harris' campaign also didn't plan any events with Jill Biden last month, according to a person familiar with the calendar.

• In coordination with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff's team, the first lady pulled out of a campaign fundraiser in Paris for Americans abroad during the Olympics and was rescheduled for Emhoff to host.

Reality check: Most of a president's work happens behind closed doors, without cameras, and Biden was on vacation for much of August.

• The first lady has been doing many official events, such as leading the U.S. delegation to Mexico for the inauguration of that country's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum.
• Jill Biden also went to the Hamptons to attend a Ralph Lauren party during Fashion Week.

What they're saying: White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios that Biden's public schedule was part of a larger media strategy.

• "Being commander-in-chief is about far more than public events, which are scheduled at strategic times to reach the most Americans possible, like before 20 million Americans watch the national evening news. "
• He added that Biden "works around the clock, long before and after these times, as the historic results he continues to achieve weekly for the American people demonstrate."
• Biden planned to start campaigning as soon as this week but Hurricane Helene delayed those plans, the White House said.
• A person familiar with the first lady's schedule said she's "planning a campaign travel swing through battleground states during her fall break from teaching. Details will be rolled out soon."
• Harris' campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Zoom in: President Biden has continued to have miscues in public since the debate.

• In prepared remarks last week, he referred to Donald Trump's running mate — Ohio Sen. JD Vance — as "Secretary Vance" (the White House later corrected Biden's remarks in the official transcript).
• While greeting world leaders in New York last week at the United Nations, he said: "Welcome to Washington" (the White House didn't correct this transcript).

• At an event last week in Wilmington, Del., with close allies, Biden appeared to lose track of the program and yelled, "Who's next?" to awkward silence before an aide introduced the prime minister of India.
• A White House official noted that ABC News' David Muir "said 'Trump' when he meant 'Biden' [at the presidential debate]. That can happen to just about any of us."

Between the lines: Harris' presidential campaign has unfolded largely outside of Biden's orbit, even as she is relying on much of his campaign operation.

• Biden's low approval rating — 40.6%, according to 538's approval tracker — makes the president's public appearances a potential liability for Harris. His rating is lower than Trump's was at this time four years ago, during the pandemic (43.2%).
• Behind closed doors, Biden has acknowledged to aides that he is unpopular and will do whatever Harris' team thinks will help her win — including not campaigning in certain states.

The intrigue: Biden's limited schedule has at times made it difficult for his staff to set up events — even politically advantageous ones.

• Some White House aides wanted to bring the University of Michigan's championship football team to the White House earlier this year, but were unable to get anything on Biden's schedule (Biden has done events with other championship teams).
• Michigan is a key swing state, so an event with the team seemed like a no-brainer, people familiar with the matter told Axios. The University of Michigan did not respond to a request for comment.

Zoom out: Online metrics also indicate the public's interest in the president is at its lowest levels since his term began in 2021.

• Searches about Biden over the last two months are near all-time lows for his presidency, according to Google Trends. They hit a post-inauguration high just weeks earlier, when he dropped out of the race.
• August and September saw the fewest published articles about Biden during his presidency, according to exclusive data from NewsWhip. September's sum was 23% below the previous low in December 2022.

What's next: Biden's domestic schedule in October will be limited since he is going to Germany and Angola from Oct. 10-15, the White House announced last week.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional White House comment on Biden's campaign plans.