Kamala Harris, the former Vice President, shared her insights during a recent podcast interview on Thursday, revealing her belief that former President Joe Biden did not want to debate President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Harris suggested that Biden, who eventually participated in the debate, was ‘talked into’ the event and did not genuinely want to engage in the competition. According to her, something ‘was a little off’ before the debate, which she believed contributed to his poor performance.
Harris stated that Biden reached out to her during the debate preparation phase, and she could sense that there was an issue with his readiness. She expressed concern over the former president’s demeanor, indicating that he appeared disinterested in the debate. During the discussion, Harris emphasized that a lack of desire to compete can have a significant impact on one’s performance, whether in sports or politics. She suggested that Biden might have felt pressured into the debate rather than being genuinely committed to it.
Bartlett, the host of the ‘Diary of a CEO’ podcast, pressed Harris on the matter, questioning why the Democratic political team was pretending everything was fine despite the obvious issues with Biden’s performance. Harris did not directly answer the question about whether she believed Biden was unfit for the debate, but she offered insight into what might have led to the debate going awry. She described the situation as similar to any competition, where participants must want to be in the game to perform at their best.
Biden’s debate performance against Trump in 2024 was widely viewed as a failure, with the Democratic president struggling to articulate his positions, losing his train of thought, and speaking in a raspy voice attributed to a cold during the event. This is not the first time Harris has discussed her reaction to the debate, as she mentioned in her new political memoir, ‘107 Days,’ that she was stunned by Biden’s response to a question about his administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which left 13 U.S. service members dead.
Harris pointed out that Biden missed an opportunity to address the tragic events of the Afghanistan withdrawal, failing to acknowledge the loss of life. She also criticized his claim that he was ‘the only president this century’ who did not have any troops ‘dying anywhere in the world.’ Furthermore, she noted that Biden omitted an acknowledgment of the horrific attack that plagued his administration as one of its greatest failures. These responses left Harris feeling frustrated and questioning the former president’s commitment to the issues at hand.
Harris’s comments have sparked a broader conversation about the expectations placed on political leaders during high-stakes events and the importance of preparedness. As Biden’s campaign continues to navigate the aftermath of the debate, questions remain about the factors that influenced his performance and the implications of his decision to withdraw from the race. The debate has become a pivotal moment in the 2024 election, with its consequences shaping the political landscape for years to come.