Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the 30th annual Essence Festival in New Orleans

In an effort to persuade Black people to support the Biden-Harris ticket once more, Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday shifted the conversation away from President Joe Biden's candidature and onto the perils of a second Trump administration.

In a moderated discussion at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, Harris declared, "This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime," asserting that, should he be reelected, former President Donald Trump has "openly" declared "his intention to be a dictator on Day 1."

Harris’ stop at the annual Black music and cultural festival comes as the Biden campaign works to revive a corner of the coalition that helped propel the president to the White House in 2020.

CNN exit polls show that among Black voters in 2020, Biden defeated Trump 87% to 12%. However, Trump has lately gained ground with the crucial voting bloc. According to a May New York Times/Siena College study of battleground states, Trump is leading Biden by over 20% among Black voters in a two-way race. If this results in votes in November, it would be a historic high.

Harris made an effort to persuade festivalgoers that if they turn out to vote in historic numbers once more, "we can see it through."

“People voted in record numbers in 2020. This is what was able to happen, and when everyone votes in those numbers again in 122 days, we can see it through,” Harris said.

Since the president's dismal showing in last week's CNN presidential debate, the White House has been unable to allay worries about his mental health and the viability of his candidature. While some Democrats have called for the president to step down, others have asked him to carefully consider running for reelection. Remaining unflinching, Biden told reporters in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday that he is "completely ruling out" withdrawing from the contest.

In a TV appearance, a defiant Biden states he has no plans to withdraw from the presidential campaign.

In the event that Biden stands down, many see Harris as the clear winner; a CNN survey taken following the debate indicated that the vice president would beat Biden in a fictitious contest versus Trump. 

Republicans, on the other hand, would prefer to see Harris stay out of the presidential race because they think Trump would have an easier time defeating Biden.

However, Harris has defended Biden on multiple occasions, and CNN revealed earlier this week that the vice president and her team had purposefully ignored the majority of incoming calls and texts to emphasise that she will be by his side.

Because the moderator did not expressly question about concerns over Biden's reelection bid, the vice president was able to sidestep discussing issues inside her own party on Saturday. Other Biden surrogates at the event, however, took the matter head-on, endorsing the president and reassuring people that he won't be going anywhere.

Rep. Joyce Beatty argued that Biden shouldn’t withdraw from the race just because of one debate.

“We’ve all had a bad day,” the Ohio Democrat said, later adding: “Don’t go out there turning your back on this president.”

Democrats express concern over Trump's closing of the funding gap with Biden.

Rep. Maxine Waters of California emphasised that Biden would not be leaving.

In response to a question about whether she would back fellow Californian Harris in the event that the president withdrew, Waters stated, "We're focused on Biden." We're concentrated on the fact that, in addition to his excellent work, we think he will continue.

Some festival goers expressed their opinion that Harris is ready to take over in the event that Biden withdraws from the race. In the end, however, voters declared that they will vote for the Democratic nominee in November, whoever that may be.

“Keep the ticket the way it is. Her time will come. … Stick with the game plan. You had a plan; stick with the plan. The plan worked before; it will work again,” said Jeri Peris, a New Orleans resident.

Peris said Biden’s poor debate performance was “a one-off,” adding, “Everybody gets sick. He’s a good president. He’s a good man. He’s done great things. Everyone has an off day.”

Laura Morgan Roberts of Washington, DC, said it’s a “no-brainer” that she will vote for Biden in November, but added, “I am 100% confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability, commitment, desire to lead the country and do what’s best for our people.”

Meanwhile, Michelle Buxton from Chattanooga, Tennessee, told CNN, “It just seems like they aren’t giving (Biden) a chance.”

Democrats express concern over Trump's closing of the funding gap with Biden.

“We’re here all working together and I think it almost seems personal,” Buxton said. “I just don’t think that they should bring him down.”