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Former Vice President Kamala Harris delivers her sharpest critique yet of former President Joe Biden in her upcoming memoir, calling his decision to run for reelection in 2024 “recklessness” and accusing his inner circle of repeatedly undermining her during their years in the White House.
In the book, 107 Days, set for release this month, Harris reflects on the months of mounting Democratic panic over Biden’s age and vulnerabilities before he ultimately dropped out of the race. Excerpts published by The Atlantic reveal Harris’s frustration with the deference shown to the Bidens in making the decision to run again.
“‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.’ We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized,” Harris wrote. “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.”
Harris acknowledged she considered urging Biden not to run but feared he would see it as “naked ambition” or “poisonous disloyalty.” She added that his age — 81 at the time — showed in “physical and verbal stumbles,” though she stopped short of questioning his mental fitness. “As loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country,” she wrote.
Criticism of Biden’s Circle
Beyond Biden’s decision to run, Harris levels serious criticism at his advisers, arguing they allowed damaging narratives about her to grow unchecked. She recalled being derided as the “border czar” when Biden assigned her to manage migration issues, a politically fraught role she said the White House communications team did little to clarify.
“When Republicans mischaracterized my role, no one in the White House comms team helped me to effectively push back,” she wrote. “Getting anything positive said about my work or any defense against untrue attacks was almost impossible.”
She accused Biden’s staff of fueling negative portrayals, from criticisms of her laugh and voice to claims she was a “DEI hire.” According to Harris, aides also operated with a “zero-sum” mindset. “If she’s shining, he’s dimmed,” she wrote, describing the West Wing’s attitude toward her. “None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well.”
Fallout from 2024 Election
Biden’s age was already a liability before his faltering debate performance in 2024, which intensified calls from Democrats for him to exit the race. An NBC News poll in January of that year found 76% of voters had major or moderate concerns about his health.
After Biden withdrew in July 2024, Harris launched her own campaign but failed to win a single battleground state. Her memoir title references the length of her campaign, which she ended after losing to Trump in November.
Former Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates responded to the excerpts by highlighting Democratic successes in down-ballot races since 2024. “I’m proud to have worked for an administration led by two people who are not in the Epstein files,” Bates added, taking a swipe at Trump’s past ties to the disgraced financier.
With 107 Days, Harris appears intent on settling scores and reclaiming her place in the narrative of Biden’s turbulent final campaign. “My success was important for him,” she wrote. “His team didn’t get it.”
