Despite filling in as the ticket leader following President Joe Biden’s retirement, Vice President Kamala Harris made it clear Thursday night that she will not participate in the Democratic Party’s criticism of Biden during the 2024 campaign.
During her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harris was questioned about how she managed to stand apart as a candidate while still being devoted to the man she worked for. Biden resigned in response to growing criticism of his performance and dwindling support, especially following his botched debate with Donald Trump.
Colbert said, “That must have been challenging,” pointing out the delicate balance Harris had to maintain. Because you respect the man you are still working for while yet have to set yourself apart as a candidate. How was it to navigate that?
Harris made reference to 107 Days, her recently released campaign biography, which was called after the length of her short campaign. “I go into great detail about that in the book,” she remarked. You’re bringing up an issue that both of us know will take much more time to discuss than we likely have at the moment.
Harris’ tone became more somber when Colbert jokingly asserted that he and his viewers weren’t in a hurry.
“I have an innate tendency to refrain from engaging in piling on,” she remarked. Furthermore, I just had no intention of adding to the situation. Additionally, there was a lot of piling going on at the time, and I had no intention of taking part in it.
Harris seemed to be alluding to other Democrats who turned away from Biden as doubts about his suitability for office became inevitable, even though she did not mention specific names. Notably, Colbert refrained from delving deeply into the claims of Biden’s cognitive impairment that arose in several books earlier this year.
Biden’s family is still hurting in private because of how he was essentially forced off the Democratic ticket in 2024.
Growing doubts about his age and mental capacity had been heightened by his debate with Trump in June. Pressure from Democratic leaders, like as Nancy Pelosi, increased in the ensuing weeks, and on July 21, 2024, Biden formally left the campaign. He nominated Harrisa as his successor, and she won the nomination right away, paving the way for a new race against Trump.
Harris and her running companion, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, were unable to overcome Biden’s persistent unpopularity as well as her own difficulties as a candidate, even when the contest was reset. In November, Trump gained a resounding victory.
Harris found it difficult to separate herself from Biden’s administration during the campaign.
During an interview on The View, a program typically seen as a welcoming environment for Democrats, a significant blunder occurred. In response to co-host Sunny Hostin’s question on what she would have done differently than Biden, Harris said, “I can’t think of anything.”
“I’ve participated in the majority of the decisions that have had an impact,” she continued.
Taking advantage of the exchange, the Trump campaign swiftly used the video in ads that portrayed Harris as a continuation of the Biden administration rather than a force for change. The incident became the main topic of media postmortems that examined the reasons for her loss.
When Harris returned to The Late Show later that day, Colbert asked a similar question about how her prospective government would be different from Biden’s. Again, she evaded a direct response.
