In her forthcoming memoir 107 Days, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris offers her most pointed criticism yet of President Joe Biden, calling his decision to seek a second term “recklessness” rather than courage.
“We all repeated, ‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision,’ like we were under some kind of spell,” Harris writes in an excerpt published by The Atlantic. “But in hindsight—was it grace or was it recklessness? I now believe it was recklessness.”
The memoir, titled after the length of her short-lived 2020 presidential campaign, will be released later this month. The Atlantic excerpt, spanning 3,000 words, sheds light on her behind-the-scenes frustrations during her time as vice president.
Harris reveals that she felt sidelined and underappreciated by Biden’s team, claiming credit for her work was often denied, and her role misrepresented. She recounts being in a difficult position when it came to advising Biden against running again in 2024.
“I was in the worst position to say it,” she writes. “If I told him not to run, it would’ve seemed self-serving—ambitious, even disloyal—when in truth, I was only thinking: Don’t let the other guy win.”
Biden ultimately dropped out of the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, which intensified concerns about his age and mental acuity. Trump later went on to win the election, defeating Harris.
Reflecting on that period, Harris argues that Biden’s re-election campaign “should never have been just a personal choice.”
“The stakes were too high,” she wrote. “This wasn’t about one man’s ego or ambition. It should have been a broader, collective decision.”
While she denies any coordinated effort to conceal Biden’s age-related struggles, she admits they were increasingly evident.
“Joe was still sharp, deeply experienced, and capable. But at 81, fatigue set in. His age began to show—in both his speech and physical presence,” Harris notes.
The former vice president also criticized the White House for failing to defend her publicly, particularly when Republicans branded her the “border czar” during heightened scrutiny over immigration.
Harris says she helped secure billions in private investment for Latin American nations to address migration at its roots. Still, she claims the administration did little to clarify her role or promote her accomplishments.
“No one in the White House communications team stepped up to help explain my mission—or highlight the progress we made,” she writes.
She also shares a moment of personal disappointment during a trip to Texas after a hurricane in July 2024. Watching President Biden’s national address from a Houston hotel room, Harris noted that he failed to mention her until nearly nine minutes into the 11-minute speech.
“It was a strong address, rooted in the history of the presidency,” she said. “But my staff pointed out how long it took for him to even mention me.”
Harris and Biden first competed for the Democratic nomination in 2020 before Biden selected her as his running mate. The pair went on to defeat Donald Trump and Mike Pence in that year’s general election. Despite concerns over Biden’s age, he launched a re-election campaign in 2023.
107 Days is scheduled for release on September 23, with Harris embarking on a 15-city book tour, including stops in the UK and Canada.
