Devine: Harris memoir depicts Biden–Harris era as self-serving, fraught with conflict

A New York Post op-ed by Miranda Devine previews scenes from Kamala Harris’s forthcoming campaign memoir and portrays the Biden–Harris era as defined by self-interest and a fragile, all-too-personal alliance. Devine writes that the opening pages recount President Joe Biden telling Harris on July 21, 2024, that he was dropping out and would endorse her as his successor. The scene places Harris in her kitchen, watching a cooking show with her grandnieces nearby, as the president speaks from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The column notes Biden had tested positive for COVID four days earlier and was facing a prostate cancer diagnosis—facts Harris did not know at the time but that the memoir reportedly acknowledges in hindsight.

Devine quotes Harris’s reported reaction to the moment: “Really? Give me a bit more time. The whole world is about to change.” The piece says the rest of the book, titled 107 Days, centers on Harris’s view that Biden did not give her enough time to win. The column portrays Harris as self-absorbed and unprepared for certain tasks, describing what Devine presents as a pattern of avoiding assignments such as border policy, skipping press conferences, and lamenting that Biden’s staff treated her like a “potted plant.” It also notes Harris’s stated preference for personal audience over public engagement, and the running mate decision she describes as a miscalibrated choice aimed at loyalty. The memo reportedly references Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as a running mate pick grounded in loyalty, a term that recurs in the piece and in the excerpt of the memoir.

The article continues with a chapter about tensions within the White House family and inner circle. Devine writes that Jill Biden summoned Emhoff during Fourth of July festivities to press him on loyalty and support, a moment Emhoff later relayed in the narrative. The excerpt is framed as illustrating a broader dynamic: Harris’s memoir presents a relationship with the Bidens marked by friction and perceived misalignment of priorities. The column argues there was no grand conspiracy to hide Biden’s infirmity; rather, it contends that Biden’s age and stamina shaped decisions and interactions that affected Harris’s role as vice president.

Beyond personal dynamics, Devine links the memoir’s frame to a larger question about the Democratic Party’s direction. The piece suggests Biden strategically undermined Harris when it served his political interests, a motif the author uses to discuss the party’s evolving identity and internal debates. It cites Sen. Joe Manchin’s recent remark to CNN that the Democratic base has shed hundreds of thousands of members since the last election, portraying the party as fracturing rather than consolidating.

The op-ed closes by underscoring the idea that acknowledging what went wrong with the Biden–Harris administration is essential to the party’s long-term health, and that the memoir could contribute to a broader national conversation about leadership, accountability, and the party’s future trajectory in US politics.