Kamala Harris lavished praise on Joe Biden Thursday at their first public appearance together since he stepped down as the Democratic presidential nominee.

And he returned the favor by showing a hint that he missed the campaign trail and gave Donald Trump a nickname.

But many of the crowd weren’t there to hear it – dozens of people made for the exits as Biden spoke.

Pro-Palestinian protesters also started screaming about genocide as the president spoke in a room off to the side of the stage.

The crowd, filled with many of Harris’ sorority sisters, was clearly hyped up to see her. After she spoke, introduced Biden and gave him a hug, the crowd started to disperse.

Harris herself even departed the stage for Biden’s speech but she came back at the end for the traditional photoshoot of the two of them holding hands, arms raised in victory.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hug at an event in Maryland - their first public event since Biden left the presidential race
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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hug at an event in Maryland – their first public event since Biden left the presidential race

The event was billed as an official White House one but it felt like a campaign rally with Biden – and several of the other speakers – referring to Harris as the next president. There were even pot-shots taken at Republican nominee Donald Trump.

‘The guy we’re running against, what’s his name? Donald Dump? Donald… whatever,’ Biden said as the crowd roared.

He said Harris will make ‘one hell of a president.’

Harris, in her remarks, kept her focus on the man she replaced on the Democratic ticket.

‘I could speak all afternoon about the person I am standing on this stage with,’ she said as the crowd roared.  ‘Our extraordinary Joe Biden.’

The crowd roared and yelled ‘let’s go Joe’ and ‘thank you Joe.’

‘There’s a lot of love in this room for our president,’ she noted.

And, as she handed over the microphone, she doubled down, saying it was ‘my great, great, great honor to serve with this most extraordinary human being.’

Biden was just as complimentary.

‘I have an incredible partner in the progress we’ve made and she’s going to make one hell of a president,’ he said.

The love fest was welcomed by the crowd, held in the blue state of Maryland. The state’s popular Gov. Wes Moore introduced the duo, adding to the friendly vibe of the event.

The room roared as Biden and Harris hugged. And the cheers continued as they worked the stage at the end of their remarks.

The White House estimates there were about 2,300 people present.

Many of the crowd weren't there to hear Biden speak as dozens of people made for the exits during his speech
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Many of the crowd weren’t there to hear Biden speak as dozens of people made for the exits during his speech

A protester is removed from the Biden-Harris event in Maryland. Pro-Palestinian protesters also drowned out the president during his speech in an overflow room
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A protester is removed from the Biden-Harris event in Maryland. Pro-Palestinian protesters also drowned out the president during his speech in an overflow room

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris joined forces on stage in Maryland
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris joined forces on stage in Maryland

Biden was in a good mood in his first campaign-like appearance since he exited the presidential race.

He repeated one of his favorite stories – how he looks 40 but isn’t – and joked about his long public service.

‘I served in the Senate for 270 years,’ he said as the crowd laughed. ‘For the longest time, I was too damn young, because I was only about 29 when I got elected. Now I’m too damn old.’

Biden has passed the torch to his running mate. Harris has caught up to Republican rival Donald Trump in the polls, even surpassing him in some key battleground states.

She has turned out massive crowds at her campaign events.

Before things got started, outside the venue, hundreds of people waited in a line that snaked around the building.  Inside, the small arena was nearly at capacity. An overflow room quickly filled. The beverage machines ran out of beverages. And this was all an hour before Biden and Harris spoke.

Blue and yellow signs that read ‘Lowering Prescription Drug Costs’ hung on the walls and attendees waved similar signs.

The duo were at Prince George’s Community College to discuss lowering costs, including for prescription drugs.

Ahead of the event, federal officials announced a deal with drug companies to lower the price for 10 of Medicare´s most popular and costliest drugs.

Harris is being blamed by Republicans for the high rate of inflation, which came up under Biden’s tenure.  Voters gave Biden low marks for his handling of the economy and Trump’s campaign is trying to transfer those feelings to Harris.

The administration has celebrated that inflation recently dipped under 3%. But corporate price gauging has not been a primary driver of U.S. inflation, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found.

The Biden administration has blamed corporate greed and the high cost of prescripton drugs for inflation.

Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, allows Medicare to negotiate prices for some of the most costly drugs that the program covers for 66 million people.

Harris, in her role as president of the Senate, cast the tie breaking vote on the legislation.

And, even though this was billed as an official event, it had the undertones of a campaign rally.

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin said of Harris and the Inflation Reduction Act: ‘She passed that because she’s president of the Senate. President is a good title for her.’

The crowd roared in cheers.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris entered to grand applause
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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris entered to grand applause

Popular Democratic Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland introduced Biden and Harris
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Popular Democratic Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland introduced Biden and Harris

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who spoke before Biden and Harris, garnered huge cheers and applause.

He noted Biden and Harris would be out shortly, calling them ’46 and 47′ – Biden is the 46th president and Harris would be 47th if she wins in November.

‘In a few minutes, you’re going to hear not just from the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, but from the 47th president,’ he said.

The crowd roared in response: ’48, 48, 48′ – indicating they’d like Moore to be next.

White House officials said Wednesday night they expect U.S. taxpayers to save $6 billion on the new prices, while older Americans could save roughly $1.5 billion on their medications.

The new prices will go into effect on January 1, 2026.

Harris will double down on ‘price cuts’ in her presidential campaign.

At a rally on Friday in North Carolina, she will unveil a proposed ban on ‘price gouging’ in the grocery and food industries, her campaign said.