Former Vice President Kamala Harris expressed deep frustration on Thursday, recounting a pre-debate phone call with then-President Joe Biden that she said left her “angry and deeply disappointed” because he chose to focus on his own political standing rather than offer support.
Speaking on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett, Harris detailed the unexpected call placed to her hotel room right before her debate against then-Republican nominee Donald Trump. Harris had anticipated a morale boost from the president.
“I’m in my hotel room with Doug, my husband, and the president calls and I was told that he wanted to call me so that I’d be ready and I was so sure it was to buck me up and ‘go get em,’” Harris recalled.
She said that while Biden started with encouragement, the conversation quickly pivoted. “Then he went on to talk about a group of people in Pennsylvania who are saying bad things about me because they heard I was saying bad things about him and when I hung up the phone, I was just, it was unbelievable. And I was, yes, I was angry and deeply disappointed. It was just so unnecessary.”
Bartlett suggested that such a call might indicate a lack of support for her success. Harris agreed, stating her conviction that Biden’s motivation was entirely self-centered. “My takeaway is that his motivation was all about himself,” Harris said. “Yeah right, obviously, right. It wasn’t about my performance at the debate.”
Harris also stated that the former president “greatly disappointed” her at times during the lead-up to the election.
The former Vice President’s comments follow the release of her book, “107 Days,” which is highly critical of the Biden White House operation. In the book, Harris accuses the administration of stunting her ability to defeat Trump. She specifically cited the Biden press team for allegedly failing to highlight her work, such as her role as “border czar,” and for not defending her against public criticism. RELATED: Jon Stewart: Did ‘107 Days’ Doom Kamala Harris’ Campaign, Or Did She Have Too Much Time?
The book has provoked a strong reaction among Democratic circles. Several strategists and operatives have publicly voiced their displeasure, with one describing the book as “unhelpful and divisive,” suggesting it has compromised her future standing as a party leader. Another anonymous adviser to a prospective 2028 candidate criticized Harris for choosing to write a “gossip book that prioritizes the pettiness of her politics.”
Despite the critiques of his campaign operation and her admission of reservations about his ability to run a successful re-election effort, Harris has maintained that Biden was mentally fit to serve another term in office. She also recently stated in a BBC interview that she may run for president again in the future.
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