Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has expressed regret that she did not ask Joe Biden to drop out of the race for the White House. In an interview with the BBC, she said:
"Yes, I've thought about whether I should have a conversation with him, to suggest that he not run for re-election."
After months of speculation about the president's health and mental clarity, Joe Biden finally ended his campaign for reelection in July 2024 — following a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump a few weeks earlier.
Kamala Harris, who took over the Democratic nomination after Biden withdrew but lost to Trump, revealed in her book about the three-month campaign that she had never discussed her concerns about his abilities with President Biden. Nor did the 81-year-old raise the issue with her then.
In her book, “107 Days,” the former vice president writes that Biden’s decision to run again “should not have been left to the ego or personal ambition of one individual.” She adds that she “maybe” should have brought up the subject with him. In the BBC interview, Harris said she still wonders if she should have acted differently and opened up this conversation:
"I'm still reflecting on whether I should have had a conversation with him, to ask him not to run."
She added that "my concern, especially when I look at it now with reflection, is whether I should have actually spoken."
Then she asked herself: "Was this out of politeness or my carelessness?"
Harris explained that her concern was not about Biden’s ability to do the job of president, but about his ability to withstand the immense physical and mental fatigue that a presidential campaign requires, especially when facing Donald Trump. Asked why she makes the distinction, she said:
“There’s a serious difference between running for office and doing the job of president. And running against Trump is even more exhausting.”
She added: “I had a concern about his ability – about the level of stamina and energy it requires, especially when you’re facing the current president.”
According to her, it was difficult to speak openly, because if she did, she would risk being accused of political self-interest:
"Part of the problem was: would it have been a fruitful and effective conversation, considering that it could be interpreted as an act in my personal interest?"
The question of whether those around Biden should have challenged his decision to run again more forcefully has now become a topic of widespread public debate.
A recent book, "Original Sin" by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, claims that some people close to the president had hidden his physical deterioration from the public.
Meanwhile, Biden's aides have responded sharply to these claims, saying that yes, there were physical changes due to age, but there was no evidence of mental disability and nothing that affected his ability to perform the duties of the president.
In his first interview after leaving the White House in May of this year, Biden told the BBC that "it wouldn't have made any difference if he had dropped out of the race earlier."
In another part of the conversation with the BBC, Harris — who was in Britain to promote her book — stated that it is possible to run for president again.
She has ruled out the possibility of running for governor of her home state, California, but added that she is not finished with public service yet:
"I'm not done yet," the former prosecutor and vice president said, leaving the door open for a possible return to US national politics.
