Kamala Harris recently unveiled a surprising detail about Joe Biden’s unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign against Donald Trump.
In a podcast interview, the former Vice President mentioned that Biden was reluctant to engage in a debate with his Republican rival during the previous election.
Harris observed that something seemed off with Biden before his notorious debate showing, which played a significant role in determining the election’s outcome.
During the July 2024 debate, Biden faced difficulties in completing his thoughts and often lost his train of thought mid-response.
“He [Biden] called me from debate camp. The president did, Biden did. And I could tell something was a little off,” Harris shared with Steven Bartlett, the host of ‘The Diary Of A CEO’ podcast.
Harris expressed her concern, adding, “I don’t think he wanted to debate, is my point. He didn’t want that debate.”
Biden dropped out of the race just 24 days after his first and only debate with Trump. The former president faced mounting pressure from leaders in the Democratic party over his health and electability.
Harris, also during the podcast interview, revealed her greatest campaign regret.
Harris in a recent interview revealed that former President Joe Biden did not want to debate Donald Trump
Democratic leaders pressured Biden to drop out of the race following the debate, citing his age and electability
Biden’s debate performance in July 2024 led to his ouster as the Democratic nominee
Joe Rogan in the final weeks of the presidential election invited Harris and Trump for separate interviews on his famous podcast.
Harris, citing scheduling issues with campaign events, declined the interview but Trump accepted.
Rogan’s interview with Trump went viral acquiring more than 60 million views in the final days of the campaign.
‘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.
Harris suggested Biden not have the proper motivation to win the debate against Trump
‘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.
