NEED TO KNOW
- Kamala Harris made her first major TV appearance since losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump
- Harris told Rachel Maddow she was worried it would seem “self-serving” if she told President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign before he made the decision himself
- Harris’ campaign memoir, 107 Days, comes out on Tuesday
Kamala Harris sat down for her first major television interview since losing the 2024 presidential election in November.
Speaking with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Monday, Sept. 22, the former vice president, 60, shed light on some of the biggest bombshells from her memoir about her election campaign, 107 Days.
During the interview, Maddow directly asked Harris about a passage in the book where she writes that everyone in former President Joe Biden’s administration seemed to believe it was up to Biden and then-first lady Jill Biden to decide if he should run for reelection or not.
“We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized,” Harris writes. “Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness.”
Harris told Maddow she realized that, “I have and had a certain responsibility that I should’ve followed through on.”
“When I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything, I’m talking about myself,” Harris explained. “There was so much, as we know, at stake. And as I write, you know, where my head was at, at the time, it would be completely… it would come off as completely self-serving.”
Maddow asked Harris to clarify if she meant it would’ve been seen as “self-serving” for her to tell Biden she didn’t think he should run again.
“Yeah,” Harris agreed. “Or even if he should question whether it’s a good idea.”
Harris’ forthcoming book, due for release on Tuesday, Sept. 23, has already made headlines for sharing details about behind-the-scenes moments during the 2024 presidential election.
“Since leaving office, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on those days and with candor and reflection, I’ve written a behind-the-scenes account of that journey,” Harris said in a July 31 video announcing the book. “I believe there’s value in sharing what I saw, what I learned and what it will take to move forward.”
Harris is about to embark on a 15-city book tour in support of her new memoir, including two international stops in Ontario and London.
During each event, Harris will recount what she saw and learned during her presidential bid, and will lead a conversation on “how we collectively chart a blueprint that sets an alternative vision for our country now,” a press release stated.
Soon after the announcement of her tour, President Donald Trump reportedly sent a letter dated Thursday, Aug. 28, which notified Harris and her team that her Secret Service detail would be revoked starting on Sept. 1.
A senior adviser for Harris confirmed the news to the outlets and said in a statement that she is “grateful to the United States Secret Service for their professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to safety.”
PEOPLE previously reported that the book contains new details about her dynamic with Trump on the campaign trail. For much of Harris’ campaign, Trump publicly attacked and belittled her — but, according to her, his tone was vastly different in private.
Harris claims she first got a glimpse of Trump’s other side in September 2024. When a man was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, the Republican candidate outwardly asserted the violence was fueled by Harris’ campaign rhetoric. But shortly after, when Harris initiated a phone call with Trump, his tone had significantly changed.
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On the phone, Trump allegedly praised Harris and expressed gratitude to be receiving a call from one of the only other people who understood his “dangerous” position.
“You’ve done a great job, you really have,” he said, according to Harris’ account. “My only problem is it makes it very hard for me to be angry with you. It’s like, what am I going to do? How do I say bad things about you now?”
“Well, then don’t!” Harris says she replied, with laughter.
He allegedly added, “I’m going to tone it down. I will. You’re going to see.”
107 Days comes out on Sept. 23 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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