Takeaways from Kamala Harris’ first interview about her new book, ‘107 Days’
By David Wright, CNN
(CNN) — In her first television interview about her new campaign memoir, Kamala Harris was pressed on what she meant when she wrote that it was reckless to let former President Joe Biden seek reelection.
“I realized that I have – and had – a certain responsibility that I should have followed through on,” Harris told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. “And so when I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything, I’m talking about myself.”
Passages from her book, “107 Days,” have already drawn widespread attention for her recounting of her first calls after Biden dropped out and her vice-presidential search process. She laughed off one comment about California Gov. Gavin Newsom – that he told her he was hiking when she called to ask for his endorsement, only to never call back – and reflected on her comments about not choosing former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate.
She also gave cautious backing to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor who many top party officials have declined to endorse.
Why she didn’t press Biden
Harris was pressed on the portions of her book she devoted to questioning former Biden’s initial insistence on going through with a reelection campaign despite concerns about his age. She downplayed the idea that she would raise questions to Biden about his choice.
“There was so much, as we know, at stake. And as I write, you know, the – where my head was at, at the time, is that it would be completely – it would come off as being completely self-serving,” Harris continued, downplaying the idea that she would raise questions about Biden’s reelection decision.
Not choosing Buttigieg as her running mate
Another notable moment in the interview came when Harris was asked about the portion of her book in which she explained her reservations about selecting Buttigieg as her running mate.
Harris wrote that Buttigieg was her first choice, but that because he is gay, she thought it was “too big of a risk” to pick him while already asking voters to accept a Black woman as president.
Maddow, who is gay, pressed Harris on that passage, commenting that “to say that he couldn’t be on the ticket effectively because he was gay, it’s hard to hear.”
“No, no, no, that’s not what I said,” Harris responded. “With the stakes being so high, it made me very sad, but I also realized it would be a real risk.”
She went on, “It wasn’t about any prejudice on my part, but that we had such a short period of time. And the stakes were so high. I think Pete is a phenomenal, phenomenal public servant. And I think America is and would be ready for that. But when I had to make that decision with two weeks to go – you know, and maybe I was being too cautious.”
Buttigieg has said he was “surprised” by Harris’ comments in her book, telling Politico, “My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories.”
A tepid endorsement of Mamdani
Mamdani’s upset victory in this summer’s New York City primary has left lingering divisions within his party. The 33-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist has inspired younger voters but also rankled top Democrats with his criticism of Israel, his proposals to freeze rent on city-stabilized apartments and make public buses free, and his allies’ talk of running primary challengers against Democratic incumbents.
Asked specifically if she would endorse Mamdani, Harris responded, “I support the Democrat in the race.”
She also added, “Let me just say this, he’s not the only star – I know that you know, he’s in New York. And I know New Yorkers think they’re the center of the world.”
“There are people like Barbara Drummond in Mobile, Alabama, Helena Moreno in New Orleans. They’re all running for mayor, too, and they are stars. So I hope that we don’t so over-index on New York City that we lose sight of the stars throughout our country,” Harris commented.
On Trump and Kimmel
Harris also devoted a significant portion of the interview to excoriating President Donald Trump’s administration, repeatedly calling him a “tyrant” and urging “titans of industry” to stand up to what she said were anti-democratic actions.
“Right now we are dealing with, as I called him at my speech on the Ellipse, a tyrant,” Harris said. “We used to compare the strength of our democracy to communist dictators. That’s what we’re dealing with right now, Donald Trump, and these titans of industry are not speaking up.”
Harris also pointed to the suspension of ABC host Jimmy Kimmel amid controversy over his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, praising pushback against Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr for implying that his agency would take action against the network if it didn’t address Kimmel.
She echoed the warnings of former President Barack Obama, who has urged similar resistance from institutions facing crackdowns from the Trump administration, in particular law firms and universities.
“Talk about the power being with the people and the people making that clear with their checkbooks as it relates to the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel,” Harris said. “We saw the power of the people over the last few days, and it spoke volumes, and it moved a decision in the right direction.”
Her future
Harris earlier passed on a bid to run for California governor next year. Asked about a third run for the presidency in 2028, Harris said, “That’s not my focus right now. It’s not my focus at all. I know – it really isn’t.”
She praised Newsom’s effort to launch a statewide referendum that would redraw California’s US House maps in response to Texas’ mid-decade redistricting that could give Republicans as many as five new seats.
“Part of what we’ve got to, I think, challenge ourselves to accept is that we tend to play by the rules. But I think this is a moment where you got to fight fire with fire,” Harris said.
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