Kamala Harris Calls Joe Biden’s 2024 Run “Reckless” in New Memoir

Kamala Harris described former President Joe Biden’s decision to run for re-election in 2024 as reckless, according to excerpts from her new book released recently. She believed allowing the 81-year-old leader to make that choice was risky, but felt she was not in a position to advise him against it without seeming self-serving.
Biden, a Democrat, ended his campaign on July 21, 2024, after a disappointing debate performance against the current president, Donald Trump. This sparked public doubts among his team and party officials about whether he could sustain the campaign or serve a second term.
In her book 107 Days, Harris wrote that among those in the White House, she was the least able to urge Biden to withdraw, knowing it would appear as if she had personal motives. She questioned whether the decision was born out of grace or recklessness, ultimately concluding it was the latter. Harris emphasised that the decision carried immense stakes and should not have been left to one individual’s ego or ambition—it needed to be more than a personal choice.
Harris, 60, became the Democratic nominee with only 107 days to make her case to voters. She lost the November election to the current president, now 79, and has kept a relatively low profile since. In July, she announced she would not pursue a run for governor of California.
Following Biden’s unexpected exit from the race, questions arose about whether critical information about his mental fitness had been withheld by the White House. His closest aides dismissed such concerns, affirming his capability to make key decisions.
Harris denied any conspiracy to conceal age-related issues, though she acknowledged Biden’s challenges grew more evident as the campaign progressed. She noted that even on his worst days, he was more knowledgeable, capable, and compassionate than the current president on his best days—but admitted that at 81, he grew tired.
Biden, who became the oldest U.S. president in history, is now 82 and has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Before serving as vice president during Biden’s 2021-2025 term, Harris was a U.S. senator from California and made history as the first South Asian and Black woman to hold the vice presidency.