Harris Blames Biden's 2024 Run on His 'Ego'

In her upcoming memoir, Kamala Harris reveals she questioned the wisdom of letting Joe Biden and his wife decide alone whether he should seek reelection, calling the move reckless, according to an excerpt published by the Atlantic. Harris sees it as a collective misstep, writing in 107 Days, "'It's Joe and Jill's decision.' We all said that, like a mantra, as if we'd all been hypnotized." She adds, "In retrospect, I think it was recklessness." It was "more than a personal decision," not "a choice that should have been left to an individual's ego," Harris continues, arguing the need for broader input.

Harris' memoir, due out Sept. 23 from Simon & Schuster, recounts her own campaign and defeat by President Trump, as well as explores her internal debate over whether she should have urged Biden not to seek reelection. She notes the delicate political terrain, suggesting that any pushback from her would likely be seen as self-serving, per the Wall Street Journal. Biden "would see it as naked ambition, perhaps as poisonous disloyalty, even if my only message was: Don't let the other guy win," she writes. Despite her reservations about Biden's campaign, Harris defends his capability while in office, describing him as "a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction, able to discharge the duties of president."

She concedes his age was sometimes evident, but she also draws a sharp contrast between Biden and Trump, concluding that Biden's judgment and compassion consistently surpassed his rival's. The memoir also details friction with Biden's team, whom Harris accuses of seeing her potential success as a threat. She describes what she viewed as a "zero-sum" mindset within the White House and a lack of support from Biden's inner circle, underscoring tensions in the administration's upper ranks. "None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well," she writes.