Kamala Harris opens up about Biden’s 2024 re-election decision and her sidelined role in the White House (Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris refers to President Joe Biden's bid for a second term in 2024 as "recklessness" in her upcoming memoir 107 Days, claiming that the stakes were too great to be left to one individual's ambition. Quotes released by The Atlantic disclose Harris's fear of being placed in a tricky situation in the administration, not being able to counsel against Biden's candidacy for fear of seeming self-serving.
Harris states, "Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn't a choice that should have been left to an individual's ego, an individual's ambition." She underscores the difficulties she encountered trying to advise Biden, indicating that even good advice might be taken as personal ambition or disloyalty.
The memoir chronicles Harris's annoyance at being vice president, showing a White House frequently yielding to Biden's choices. She recounts her chief of staff insisting repeatedly that she make a public appearance at events to ensure she wasn't left "like a potted plant." Harris also takes issue with the administration's failure to stand up for her against media criticism, such as Fox News referring to her as a "DEI hire." She cites her long list of credentials two terms as district attorney, highest law enforcement positions, and as a US senator but cries that the White House didn't make those accomplishments known publicly.
Harris describes how she was overshadowed even during big moments, including Biden's Oval Office speech to announce his withdrawal from the race, where she reports that "It was almost nine minutes into the 11-minute address before he mentioned me."
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Despite her criticisms, Harris defends Biden’s competence, attributing occasional verbal missteps to age-related fatigue rather than cognitive decline. She highlights his extensive experience and deep conviction, contrasting his capabilities even on challenging days with former President Donald Trump’s record. Harris also links some public stumbles, including debate performances, to gruelling schedules and back-to-back trips.
"I don't think it was incapacity. If I felt that way, I would have said so. As devoted as I am to President Biden, I am more devoted to my country," she writes.
Harris's memoir, coming out on 23 September, will be coupled with a 15-city book tour spanning the UK and Canada, giving readers an unvarnished look inside the Biden White House and her own political transformation.
