(Washington) Former vice-president Kamala Harris says that the Democrats were “reckless” to let Joe Biden decide if he would ask for a second term, but at the same time she defended her ability to exercise this work, according to an extract from her new book.
Mme Harris, in an extract from 107 Days Posted Wednesday in The Atlanticwrites that, while the questions multiplied on the candidacy of Mr. Biden, aged at the time of 81, for her re -election, she and other people left the decision to Joe Biden and to the First Lady Jill Biden.
“Was it grace or imprudence?” Retrospectively, I think it was recklessness, ”said Mr.me Harris.
This is the first time that Kamala Harris publicly has criticized Mr. Biden’s decision to represent himself. He finally withdrew in July 2024 after a disastrous performance during the first debate, leaving Mme Harris at the head of the party and finally lose against Republican Donald Trump.
“The stake was simply too important,” she argued. It was not a choice that should have been left to the ego or an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision. »»
Joe Biden’s office did not comment immediately on Wednesday.
Throughout the campaign and afterwards, Kamala Harris avoided criticizing the president whom she rubbed shoulders with and defended him in the face of questions about her mental acuity.
In the extract from the book, Mme Harris continues to defend Mr. Biden’s ability to do his job, but describes him as “tired” in 2024, and especially at the time of the “debacle of the debate”.
“In his worst days, he was more educated, more capable of discernment and much more compassionate than Donald Trump in his best days. But at 81, Joe started to get tired. It was at this point that her age was manifested by physical and verbal awkwardness, “she said.
“I do not think it is surprising that the fiasco of the debate occurred just after two consecutive trips to Europe and a flight to the west coast for a collection of funds in Hollywood. I do not believe that it is incapacity. »»
She adds that if she had believed that Joe Biden was incapable, she would have said it by loyalty to the country.
The entourage of Joe Biden criticized
Mme Harris also criticizes the relatives of Mr. Biden for having encouraged poorly flattering media coverage during his mandate as vice-president and of having undermined him to improve the image of Mr. Biden with public opinion.
She wrote about having been closely scrutinized as the first woman vice-president, but says that “when the articles were unfair or inaccurate, the president’s entourage seemed to be satisfied with it. In fact, it looked like they decided to lower me a little more. »»
Mme Harris writes that she often found that Mr. Biden’s team “fueled the negative stories” which surrounded him, in particular the rumors that his vice-president office was confusing and experienced a strong rotation of the staff.
The former vice-president also accuses team Biden of having feared that she will steal the show from him, evoking a speech delivered in Selma, in Alabama, last March, in which she called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the delivery of increased humanitarian aid.
“It has become viral and the west wing was unhappy,” she wrote. I have been criticized, apparently, for having pronounced it too well. »»
She suggests that devaluing it also devalued Mr. Biden, in particular “given the concerns about his age”.
Kamala Harris’ book, whose title refers to the duration of its shortened presidential campaign, will be published by Simon & Schuster on September 23.
