Former Vice President Kamala Harris says Democrats made a mistake by leaving it solely to President Joe Biden to decide on pursuing another term, though she continues to defend his capability to govern. The comments come from her upcoming memoir, 107 Days, with excerpts published Wednesday.
Questioning Biden’s 2024 Campaign
Harris reflects on the months leading up to Biden’s reelection bid, when questions about his age and stamina dominated headlines. At the time, Democrats deferred to Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to make the decision.
“Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness,” Harris writes. She argues that the stakes were too high for such a consequential choice to rest on one individual’s ambition.
Biden eventually dropped out of the race in July 2024 after a poor debate performance, handing Harris the Democratic nomination, which she ultimately lost to President Donald Trump.
Despite her critique, Harris continues to emphasize that Biden was able to do the job. She describes him as “deeply knowledgeable” and “compassionate,” even as his age showed in moments of fatigue.
She points to his back-to-back travel schedule leading up to the debate as a factor, insisting that the stumble was not evidence of incapacity. Harris adds that she would have spoken up had she believed otherwise.
Tensions Inside the West Wing
Harris also writes about challenges she faced during her tenure, accusing Biden’s staff of undermining her to protect the president’s image. She claims that aides amplified negative stories about her office and resisted moments when she drew public praise.
One example she cites is a 2024 speech in Selma, Alabama, where she called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The remarks went viral, but Harris says the West Wing was displeased because of how well the speech was received.
She argues that weakening her role ultimately hurt Biden, especially as concerns about his age persisted. “My success was important for him,” she writes. “His team didn’t get it.”
Harris’s book — named for the length of her presidential campaign — is due to be published September 23 by Simon & Schuster. It marks the first time she has publicly voiced regret about how Biden’s campaign decision was handled.
Author’s Opinion
Harris’s blunt assessment shows how fragile Democratic strategy was in 2024. By relying on Biden’s personal decision rather than building a clear contingency plan, the party left itself vulnerable to collapse when his campaign faltered. That lack of foresight didn’t just cost Democrats the presidency — it revealed a broader failure to prepare for leadership transition in a moment when the stakes could not have been higher.
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