Former US Vice-President Kamala Harris has revealed that she regrets not asking President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 re-election race, reflecting on whether she should have raised concerns about his ability to endure a tough campaign.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Harris said she often wonders whether she should have urged Biden not to seek a second term. “I do reflect on whether I should have had a conversation with him, urging him not to run for re-election,” she said.
Biden, who was 81 at the time, ended his re-election bid in July 2024 after a widely criticized debate performance against Donald Trump. Harris then became the Democratic nominee but lost to Trump in the November election.
In her new memoir, 107 Days, Harris admits she never discussed her concerns with Biden, writing that the decision to run again “shouldn’t have been left to an individual’s ego or ambition.” She added that she often questions whether her silence was “grace or recklessness.”
Harris clarified that her concern wasn’t about Biden’s ability to perform presidential duties but his capacity to handle the physical and emotional toll of campaigning—especially against Trump. “Running for office, particularly against him, requires immense endurance and energy,” she noted.
The former vice-president also acknowledged that raising the issue might have been seen as self-serving. “Would it have been viewed as promoting my own political interests?” she wondered.
Her comments come amid renewed debate over whether Biden’s inner circle should have done more to discourage him from running, as claims persist that some aides concealed his health struggles.
Now promoting her book in the UK, Harris said she is “not done with public service” and hinted that a future presidential run “is possible,” though she ruled out a bid for California governor.
