Former US Vice President Kamala Harris said it was a mistake for Democrats to rely solely on President Joe Biden to decide whether he should run for another term last year. In a preview of her upcoming book 107 Days, published Wednesday in The Atlantic, Harris calls it “recklessness” that she and others left the decision entirely up to Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
While concerns were growing about whether the then-81-year-old president should run again, she still stood by his ability to lead.
"Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness," Harris said.
It should have been more than personal decision, says Harris
This was the first occasion when Harris publicly criticised Biden’s move to run again for the Presidential post, only to drop out in the middle after horrible debate performance.
"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," she said.
Harris address Biden’s debate debacle
Harris also addressed the debate debacle in her book, asserting that while Biden remains far more capable than Trump, his fatigue at 81 was evident in his physical and verbal stumbles.
"On his worst day, he was more deeply knowledgeable, more capable of exercising judgment, and far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best. But at 81, Joe got tired. That's when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles. I don't think it's any surprise that the debate debacle happened right after two back-to-back trips to Europe and a flight to the West Coast for a Hollywood fundraiser. I don't believe it was incapacity," she added.
US election 2024
Joe Biden was initially fielded as the Democratic candidate to run for re‐election against Donald Trump. However, after a very poor debate performance in June 2024, concerns grew among party leaders and donors about his age, health and electability.
On July 21, 2024, Biden withdrew from the race, stating it was in “the best interest of my party and the country,” and endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as his replacement.
Harris became the Democratic nominee but went on to lose the November 2024 general election to Trump. She lost both the electoral college and the popular vote.
