In the aftermath of her defeat to President Donald Trump in 2024, Kamala Harris is not holding back in her upcoming memoir, ‘107 Days.’ Reports highlight her critical view of the Democratic establishment and her sharp words regarding President Biden’s decision to seek a second term. Harris describes it as ‘reckless’ and suggests that it was driven by personal ambitions rather than what might have been best for the party.
In an excerpt obtained by The Atlantic, Harris reflects on the mantra that surrounded Biden’s campaign — “It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.” She questions the wisdom of such sentiments, pondering whether this adherence was a form of grace or sheer recklessness. “In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high,” she writes, indicating a deep skepticism about the decisions made.
The tensions don’t stop there. A newly revealed segment from her memoir details an uneasy moment before her significant debate with Trump. Biden reached out to Harris, supposedly to lend support, but his call took a different turn, leaving her unsettled just before a pivotal moment. He brought up concerns about ‘real power brokers in Philly’ who allegedly were not on her side, igniting worries for Harris that she had been unaware of. “His brother had told him that those guys were not going to support me because I’d been saying bad things about him,” Harris recounts. The call, she suggests, escalated her anxiety rather than easing it.
Expectations for support were high, yet Harris describes Biden’s way of addressing these concerns as distracting. “He made it all about himself,” she reflects, clearly frustrated that her campaign’s success hinged on a call that should have been encouraging. Biden’s discussion about his own debate experiences added to her confusion, leaving her ‘angry and disappointed.’ In her eyes, this was a time when she needed reassurance and focus, not extra worries about political maneuvers in the most consequential state in the nation.
Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, noticed her distress and urged her to ‘let it go’ as she steeled herself for the showdown with Trump. This moment portrays the emotional toll the campaign took on her. Instead of feeling bolstered by a colleague and ally, she felt undermined just before a critical moment in her career.
The unraveling of Harris’s campaign draws attention to broader issues within the Democratic Party at the time. Her take on the events indicates more than personal disappointment; it reveals a landscape filled with doubt and uneven loyalty. As she navigates the fallout from her loss and the contentious atmosphere, her memoir serves as a powerful window into the challenges she faced, both from within her party and from her own leadership.
Ultimately, Harris’s reflections are not merely about her failed campaign but also spotlight the internal dynamics that can complicate political relationships. It raises questions about preparedness, loyalty, and the often unavoidable conflation of personal ambition with political aspirations. As she contemplates her future, Harris cannot seem to shake off the echoes of a campaign that left her reeling, seeking clarity amid the chaos that characterized her time in the spotlight.
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