Harris Memoir Alleges Biden Threatened Her Before Debate, Criticizes Party Support System

In her newly released memoir, former Vice President Kamala Harris recounts a tense phone call with President Joe Biden just before her debate with then‑President Donald Trump—a call she says morphed from concern to confrontation. According to Harris, Biden pressed her about rumors circulating among donors in Philadelphia and chastised her for criticizing him publicly.

Harris writes that Biden had spoken with his brother, James Biden, who told him that Harris was openly expressing frustration with the president. The belief was that her comments had been heard by Democratic power brokers in Philadelphia, leading influential donors to threaten to withdraw financial backing.

“I just couldn’t understand why he would call me right now and make it all about himself, distracting me with worry about hostile power brokers in the biggest city in the most important swing state,” Harris recalls in the book.

She adds that she privately believed Biden’s ambition to seek re-election had become reckless. Still, she says she felt compelled to maintain a façade of confidence, acting as though he remained fully capable of serving another four years—despite her own doubts.

Harris goes on to say that Biden and his staff are not spared her criticism. Though the administration boasted a large communications team and daily briefings led by Karine Jean-Pierre, Harris suggests the White House rarely defended her when she was attacked. She writes that the administration let false or disparaging claims—about her laugh, her tone of voice, or even her romantic history—go unanswered.

“Getting anything positive said about my work—or having any defense offered against untrue attacks—was almost impossible,” she states in her memoir.

On top of that, she says she was often dismissed as a token “DEI hire,” and the White House failed to use her record or her resume to counter those critiques.

In a media appearance, Fox News host Jesse Watters described the memoir as a no-holds-barred throwdown, suggesting Harris was exposing internal party dynamics to sell her book. According to Watters, the promotional tour so far has been “uninspiring” without the revelations.

Allies of Biden were quick to push back. After the memoir’s early excerpts accused key Democrats of being “reckless” in allowing Biden to carry the party’s nomination, some Biden supporters viewed the revelations as an opportunistic attempt by Harris to rebrand her political persona.

Harris has publicly declined to run for the California governorship in 2026, stating that for now, her future lies “outside elected office.” Still, critics say the memoir’s timing and tone could be setting the stage for another campaign—one built around distancing her legacy from Biden’s final term.

In another passage, Harris argues that the decision to go forward with the Biden nomination should not have hinged on “an individual’s ego, ambition.” She suggests it should have been a broader, more strategic party decision instead.

Some former White House colleagues expressed frustration—particularly those uncomfortable seeing Harris share behind-the-scenes tensions now. One anonymous staffer commented, “No one wants to hear your pity party.” Another aide, who had worked closely with both Biden and Harris, remarked that the disclosures felt too late to affect the 2024 race.

“Why didn’t she do this during the campaign? Her main imperative would’ve been to distance herself when it mattered,” one former Biden aide mused.

Though Harris campaigned vigorously on Biden’s behalf during the election, she writes that the 81‑year-old president grew “tired” as the race continued. Her retelling follows earlier moments where she appeared to manage perceptions around his health, once saying simply that he was “very much alive” when questioned publicly.

In sum, Harris’s memoir paints a portrait of a vice president caught between loyalty and frustration, amid an administration that—she claims—failed to shield her from both internal and external criticism. Whether these disclosures redefine her political future or reshape public perception of the Biden–Harris years remains to be seen.