Harris denies View moment was tipping point in 2024 campaign
Vice President Kamala Harris says the 2024 appearance on The View was symbolic, not a turning point, and discusses the episode in her new book 107 Days.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she did not believe her disagreement with President Joe Biden was the tipping point in her 2024 campaign, calling the moment from a "The View" interview symbolic of the larger issue. She noted the differences between herself and Biden were clear, and she did not think the interview would derail her bid.
The remarks date to an October 2024 appearance on The View, when host Sunny Hostin pressed Harris about what she would have done differently from Biden during their term together. Harris responded, "Not a thing comes to mind," a line that quickly circulated in political ads and on social media as critics argued it suggested loyalty to the president over independent critique. The moment was widely cited by opponents and political commentators as a potential turning point in the race.
Harris acknowledged in comments on Tuesday that she understood the close tie to Biden would be scrutinized. She said the Trump campaign weaponized the exchange, noting that pundits such as James Carville and Jake Tapper pointed to the moment as a turning point for her candidacy. While she said she did not believe the moment tipped the election, she later wrote in her book, "107 Days," that she did not fully grasp how significant the issue would become during the campaign.
During the writing process, Harris recalled, her team signaled an opportunity to reframe the answer. She described staffers frantically passing notes during a commercial break after she engaged with students in the audience, which led to a revised line about appointing a Republican to her cabinet. The passage describes how she wished she had handled the question differently, but she also said the damage from the moment was already done.
The former vice president emphasized that she and Biden had distinct policy visions and that she believed she highlighted differences during the campaign, even as some critics argued she was too closely tied to the incumbent president. She said her book is a reflection on that period and the lessons she drew from it.