In a powerful and deeply revealing new memoir, former Vice President Kamala Harris has broken her long-held public silence, offering a candid and at times critical account of her time in the Biden administration and the events that led to the Democratic Party’s dramatic shift in the 2024 election.¹ In excerpts from her forthcoming book, “107 Days,” Harris levies a stark judgment on the decision for President Joe Biden to seek a second term, labeling it “recklessness” and a choice that should never have been “left to an individual’s ego.”² The book’s revelations are poised to reignite debates about the Democratic Party’s strategy and the inner workings of the Biden White House.

The central critique in Harris’s memoir is aimed at the collective political paralysis that surrounded Biden’s re-election bid. Harris writes that as questions about his age swirled, a mantra was repeated by those in the White House: “It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.”³ Looking back, Harris concludes that this stance was not one of grace, but of recklessness. She writes, “The stakes were simply too high.⁴ This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition.⁵ It should have been more than a personal decision.” Harris reveals her own impossible position, explaining that as Vice President, she was “in the worst position to make the case that he should drop out,” fearing that any advice would be perceived as “naked ambition” or “poisonous disloyalty.”⁶

Beyond her central critique of the 2024 campaign, Harris’s memoir provides a rare, unvarnished look into the often-strained dynamics of the Biden White House.⁷ She alleges that her office was systematically marginalized by the president’s inner circle, which she claims was often unwilling to defend her against what she describes as relentless and often unfair attacks from conservative media.⁸ Harris details instances where her chief of staff had to fight to ensure she had a speaking role at events, arguing, “She’s not going to stand there like a potted plant.” She laments that despite a large White House communications team, it was “almost impossible” to get positive news about her work disseminated or to receive a defense against baseless attacks that caricatured her laugh, her tone of voice, or her as a “DEI hire.”⁹

The book suggests a “zero-sum” mentality within the West Wing, where some aides believed that if Harris “shone,” it would necessarily “dim” the president. This is a point of deep frustration for Harris, who argues that her success as vice president would have been a testament to Biden’s good judgment and a reassurance to the public that the country would be in “good hands” should anything happen to him.¹⁰ She also recounts a specific incident where a speech she delivered on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza went viral and was seen as “delivered too well,” earning her a scolding from the West Wing.¹¹

While the memoir is unsparing in its criticisms of the campaign and the White House, Harris is careful to defend Biden’s mental acuity.¹² She pushes back against any “conspiracy” narratives, writing that “Joe was a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction.”¹³ However, she acknowledges that at 81, “Joe got tired,” and that his age “showed in physical and verbal stumbles,” including his poor performance in a key debate.¹⁴ She links this fatigue to a demanding travel schedule, not to any form of mental incapacity, and states, “If I believed that, I would have said so.¹⁵ As loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country.” The memoir’s release, ahead of a planned 15-city book tour, is set to be Harris’s most extensive public re-emergence since she left office, further fueling speculation about her political future and her potential intentions for a 2028 presidential bid.¹⁶