Former Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview with the BBC that while she never doubted President Joe Biden’s ability to lead, she questioned whether it was reckless not to advise him against seeking another term.

LAURA KUENSSBERG, BBC: The reason that you ended up in that situation, and you say very clearly in the book, essentially, you didn’t have time. You didn’t have time to make the campaign your own. You didn’t have time to show the public what you could believe you could really do. And you also say President Biden pulling out should not have been a choice for an individual ego or an individual’s ambition. Do you feel that you were deliberately kept in the dark about what was going on and how much he was struggling behind the scenes? FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: What I have written is what I believe, which is, one, we needed more time. There’s no question about that. Two, there were many factors that contributed to the outcome of that election. But being mindful of the fact that there were extraordinary people who were involved in those 107 days, in building up an inordinate amount for the time that we had, enthusiasm and, dare I say, joy around the possibility for our country. KUENSSBERG: And that comes across. But the context here, I think, at this historical moment you talk about, is so important because there had been months of speculation around the world, here in the UK, too, even in April, long before President Biden pulled out. We asked Nancy Pelosi what was going wrong. This was a huge subject of discussion. And you write that President Biden didn’t raise his frailty with you. And you write that you didn’t really raise it with him. That’s extraordinary to read in your account. HARRIS: Well, let’s be more precise. There is a very serious difference between capacity to be president of the United States and the capacity to run for president of the United States. And so it is on that latter piece that I talk about in the book, about my concern about his ability with the level of endurance, energy that it requires, especially running against now the current president. FORMER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers. JAKE TAPPER, MODERATOR: President Trump? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either. HARRIS: So that is what I speak of in the book. And you rightly point out that I, in reflection, realize that I ask, was it on my behalf, grace or recklessness to not raise the point with him about whether it was right for him to run? But let’s be clear, my question was never about his capacity to be president. KUENSSBERG: But isn’t it a strange message to the public to say, you know what, you need to be tougher and more able to run a political campaign than actually to be the person behind the desk in the Oval Office, to be the person making decisions in the Situation Room. So did you just not think it was that bad? Or did you feel you just couldn’t raise it? HARRIS: I was concerned about his ability to run for re-election, given what the campaign would require, and requires of any individual, regardless of their age, and to run while being the sitting president of the United States with all of the responsibilities that that requires. KUENSSBERG: There’s a lot of very well-respected reporting now in the United States that uses phrases like cover-up, that talks about well-widespread concerns. And you yourself say in the book, it shouldn’t have been a choice for an individual’s ego. HARRIS: I do reflect on whether I should have had a conversation with him, urging him not to run for re-election because of what that would require, and given the stakes, most importantly. Because, as you know, I predicted just about everything that has now happened since the election. And we’ll come to that. And so my concern, and especially on reflection, is should I have actually raised it? But as I’ve also written, part of the issue there was that would it have actually been an effective and productive conversation, given what would otherwise appear to be my self-interest? KUENSSBERG: You say you’ve reflected on whether you wish you’d had that conversation with President Biden, urging him to pull out. In the end, it took other people’s voices, and even George Clooney writing an article in a newspaper saying it was time to pull the plug. Is it your belief that you would now be president if Joe Biden had pulled out earlier? I can’t speculate about that. HARRIS: I do know we needed more time, that I’m sure of. KUENSSBERG: But if you needed more time, you might have won, and you might therefore be president right now if he had pulled out earlier. That’s speculation. Well, that’s the logic of what you’re saying. You’re saying if you’d had more time, you might have won. HARRIS: I can’t predict what the outcome would have been, but I am certain we needed more time, 107 days, to run for president of the United States against a former president of the United States in this political environment, with, as I also have written, the vast amount of missing disinformation, the need to actually speak with a nation of 330 million people about not only who I am, but what I stood for in terms of the policies that I do believe actually are very salient and address the highest priorities of the American people. 107 days was clearly not enough time to do all of that.

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