In her forthcoming memoir, “107 Days,” former Vice President Kamala Harris offers a candid critique of Joe Biden’s decision to pursue a second presidential term.
Having served alongside the 82-year-old Biden for four years until 2025, Harris had a firsthand perspective on the decision-making process which ultimately resulted in Donald Trump securing a second opportunity at the presidency.
According to The Atlantic, an excerpt from the highly anticipated autobiography, which will be released on September 23, features Harris in a critical stance, a perspective not well-received by former White House officials.
“Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness,” she writes, reflecting on her decision not to advise Biden to exit the 2024 race sooner.
“The stakes were simply too high,” Harris continues.
“This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision.”
In light of Harris’s publicly shared viewpoint, a former official told The New York Post that her admission potentially undermines any chance of a political comeback in the next electoral cycle.
“No one wants a leader that can’t speak truth to power, but I do not think she is going to run,” the Democratic aide speculates.
“Is she just going to be like ‘Sure’ [to Vladimir] Putin and then write in a book she should have said ‘don’t bomb Poland’?”
Another of Biden’s colleagues remarked: “We honestly thought that it was going to be a nothingburger. This actually made me want to buy it.
“I’m sure the [book] tour will sell out. I’m sure she will make a lot of money from this. I’m sure it will raise her profile even more. But it’s not going to give her any political footing.”
Further into her reflections, Harris points out how American citizens had previously supported Biden in a similar matchup, which complicates her apprehension regarding his potential second term.
“Of all the people in the White House, I was in the worst position to make the case that he should drop out,” she admits.
“I knew it would come off to him as incredibly self-serving if I advised him not to run. He would see it as naked ambition, perhaps as poisonous disloyalty, even if my only message was: Don’t let the other guy win.”
This revelation comes as the 60-year-old appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to discuss her future plans after opting out of the Californian gubernatorial election.
Harris revealed that she had contemplated running for governor, but ultimately decided it was time for a break.
“Recently, I made the decision, at least for now, I don’t want to go back in the system, I think it’s broken,” she explained to the talk show host.
She intends to use her break wisely by traveling across the United States to engage with people, emphasizing her desire not to appear ‘transactional’ when seeking their support.