According to excerpts published by The Guardian, Harris was in her hotel room preparing for the critical debate when Biden phoned her. What began as a good-luck call quickly shifted into what she describes as a mix of scolding and self-reflection from Biden.
Biden told her his brother had spoken to “a group of real power brokers in Philly,” who allegedly would not support her because she had been “saying bad things” about him. Though Biden insisted he didn’t fully believe it, he suggested Harris check whether her team was pushing her to distance herself from him.
“Instead of reassurance, the call left me angry and disappointed,” Harris wrote. “He made it all about himself.”
Harris said the timing rattled her focus, forcing her to walk on stage with Biden’s words lingering. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, advised her to “let it go” moments before she faced Trump.
The book also sheds light on the strained dynamics between Harris and Biden during her campaign to replace him as Democratic nominee. Harris reflects critically on Biden’s decision to seek re-election, writing:
“The phrase ‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision’ became a campaign mantra. In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego or ambition.”
Harris also discloses that her first choice for running mate was Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, but she ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, saying Buttigieg would have been “too big of a risk” given the campaign was already asking voters to embrace her as a Black woman married to a Jewish man.
0 Comments