An unburdened Biden embraces more freewheeling public appearances as he advocates for Harris

As he approaches the lame duck era of his first and only term, President Joe Biden is showing signs that he’s less constrained by the scrutiny of a campaign.

As he approaches the lame duck era of his first and only term, President Joe Biden is showing signs that he’s less constrained by the scrutiny of a campaign. On Wednesday, that means he’s taking a little time to enjoy “The View.” Joining the more freewheeling format of ABC’s signature talk show signals a shift for a president who did a pair of high-stakes network interviews in July defending his capacity to serve as he fought for his political future. Now unburdened by the pressures of campaigning, particularly the constant and intense focus on his age and verbal slips, the president is ramping up his unscripted engagements and making appearances focused on shoring up his legacy. “Joe Biden is back to being the relaxed, authentic person we all knew,” said one former Biden aide. There is an implicit understanding that the future of Biden’s policy legacy is directly tied to Harris’ success in November. The president’s strategy in the coming weeks before the election, a White House official said, is to “do as much as possible in the remainder of his term to help his partner, Vice President Harris, get elected and meet Americans where they are to communicate what we are getting done for them.” Biden is expected to focus more on his accomplishments – implementation of key legislation; his decades-long championing of the “Violence Against Women Act”; and his broader “unity agenda” of mental health access, caring for veterans and his work to end cancer, among other topics – than on Harris’ candidacy during the interview on “The View,” according to another source familiar with the appearance.