Kamala Harris ‘concerned’ she did not ask Biden to quit racepublished at 09:37 GMT
09:37 GMT
Media caption,
Kamala Harris expresses concern she didn’t ask Joe Biden to pull out of presidential race
In her wide-ranging conversation with Laura Kuenssberg, Kamala Harris expresses concern that she didn’t ask Joe Biden to pull out of the race for the White House.
She says: “I do reflect on whether I should have had a conversation with him, urging him not to run for re-election.”
After months of speculation about his health and mental acuity, President Biden ended his re-election bid in July 2024 after a disastrous performance in a debate against Donald Trump a few weeks earlier.
Harris, who stepped in as the Democratic nominee but lost to Trump, has revealed in her book about her three-month campaign that she did not discuss with former President Biden her concerns over his ability. Nor did the then 81-year-old raise the issue with her.
She tells the BBC that she still ponders whether she should have acted differently and talked to him about it.
Harris says “my concern, especially on reflection is, should I have actually raised it”.
She questions whether it was “grace or recklessness” that stopped her speaking up.