In one of the most heartbreaking moments for Democrats, Kamala Harris recalled the time she realised her 2024 presidential campaign was over, and she had gone "into a state of shock” when told she was short of 200,000 votes and lost to the MAGA chief Donald Trump.
“I got a call from my campaign manager saying we need 200,000 more votes that we can’t find,” Harris said on
The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett. “I was in a state of shock, I was so inarticulate. I kept saying ‘My God, my God, my God’ over and over.”
The former vice president also discussed her relationship with former President Joe Biden, under whom she had served. Harris took over as the Democratic nominee after Biden dropped out of the race in July 2024, but ultimately lost to Trump in November.
In her new memoir,
107 Days, Harris recounts concern over Biden’s ability to run for re-election. Speaking to Bartlett, she revealed she had sensed something was “a little off” with Biden months before the election.
“He called me from debate camp ... and I could tell something was a little off,” she said. “And I was concerned about—I just, I don't think he wanted to debate, is my point.”
The June 2024 debate became infamous for Biden’s shaky performance, where he appeared frail and struggled to finish sentences. Harris said she watched from Los Angeles with a small team, ready to give honest feedback. “There will be something to clean up, and I expected that,” she said. “And then, you know, we saw what we all saw.”
In an earlier interview with Rachel Maddow, Harris admitted she regretted not urging Biden to reconsider his re-election bid. “When I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything, I'm talking about myself,” she said.
Despite the loss, Harris told the BBC this month that she remains open to another presidential run. “I am not done,” she said. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service, and it's in my bones.”
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