Kamala Harris has cast new light on the unraveling of Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign against Donald Trump, particularly highlighting a surprising element in Biden’s approach. In a recent podcast appearance, Harris disclosed that Biden was not keen on debating his Republican rival during the last election cycle. She observed that “something was a little off” with Biden prior to his notorious debate performance, which many believe was a turning point in his campaign. During the debate in July 2024, Biden notably struggled to articulate his thoughts and frequently lost his train of thought mid-response.

In her conversation with Steven Bartlett on the podcast “The Diary Of A CEO,” Harris recalled, “He [Biden] called me from debate camp. The president did, Biden did. And I could tell something was a little off.” She expressed her concern, adding, “I don’t think he wanted to debate is my point. He didn’t want that debate.” Just 24 days after his solitary debate with Trump, Biden withdrew from the race, amid escalating pressure from Democratic leaders regarding his health and viability as a candidate.

During the same podcast, Harris also shared what she considers her biggest campaign regret. In the final stretch of the election, Joe Rogan extended invitations to both Harris and Trump for individual interviews on his widely-followed podcast. Harris declined the opportunity due to scheduling conflicts with campaign events, while Trump seized the chance. The interview with Trump gained immense traction, amassing over 60 million views in the campaign’s closing days.

‘I wanted to do it. So let me just say that,’ Harris said. It would have been great to do and I think it would have been helpful to do.’ ‘I regret that we didn’t do it. I definitely regret that we didn’t do it,’ she conceded. Harris also refused to directly answer whether she believed Biden was unfit to be on the debate stage against Trump. The former Democratic nominee said that Biden did not appear to have motivation to win the debate.

‘You know, it’s like any competition you go in, whether it’s you’re bidding for something, if it’s sports, you got to want it,’ she added. ‘If you don’t want to be in the competition, it will absolutely have an impact on your performance. And I don’t think he, I’m pretty sure he did not want to debate,’ she went on. Bartlett asked Harris whether there were signs indicating Biden would have a poor debate performance.

‘Well, we had conversations about it. I think he got talked into it,’ Harris responded. ‘You know, in every debate, I don’t care who you are, there will be statistics wrong or, you know, you name this country, but it was that country. That always happens. There is no such thing as a perfect debate. So there will be something to clean up. And I expected that. And then, you know, we saw what we all saw.’ After passing on the California governor’s race in 2026, Harris is widely assumed to be weighing another shot at the presidency in 2028.