It was out of a sense of "recklessness," not duty, that former President Joe Biden decided to seek reelection in 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris writes in her new memoir. Harris became the Democratic Party's nominee after Biden left the race.
"It's Joe and Jill's decision. We all said that, like a mantra, as if we'd all been hypnotized," Harris said, according to an excerpt from her book, "107 Days," as reported in The Atlantic on Wednesday. "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. It should have been more than a personal decision."
Harris' memoir begins with the events of July 21, 2024, the day Biden told her and the world that he was leaving the race for a second term in the White House. The excerpt released Wednesday details events from July 24, three days after his announcement.
Harris also reflects on the "growing panic" among Democrats about Biden's age and his ability to win a rematch against then-GOP nominee Donald Trump.
She further describes the often complicated relationship she shared with Biden and the White House, saying she remained loyal to him but believed she was sidelined by his inner circle despite her assignments on immigration and reproductive rights.
Harris said she believed the White House communications team undercut her successes while allowing negative narratives about her performance to flourish.
"When polls indicated that I was getting more popular, the people around him didn't like the contrast that was emerging," Harris said, recalling how she was castigated for delivering a speech in Selma, Alabama, where she spoke out against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. She said she was criticized for performing "too well."
"Their thinking was zero-sum: If she's shining, he's dimmed," she said. "None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. Given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and as reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands. My success was important for him."
Still, Harris stresses in her book that her criticisms of Biden are not based on doubts about his intelligence or character.
She refers to Biden as a "smart guy with long experience and deep conviction," but acknowledges his vulnerabilities, describing the toll age took on his stamina, particularly during overseas travel and high-profile appearances.
"At 81, Joe got tired," Harris said. "That's when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles."
She also insists she never believed Biden was incapable of serving another term, but says his determination to run ignored the political risks of returning Trump to the White House.
"During all those months of growing panic, should I have told Joe to consider not running? Perhaps," Harris concedes. "But the American people had chosen him before in the same matchup. Maybe he was right to believe that they would do so again."
Harris also acknowledged she was in the "worst position" to question Biden's decision, as any suggestion that he should step aside would be seen as "naked ambition" rather than an honest assessment of the situation.
"I am a loyal person," Harris writes. "As loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country."
At the same time, she notes, many people want to "spin up a narrative of some big conspiracy at the White House to hide Joe Biden's infirmity. Here is the truth, as I lived it."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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