Harris says Biden administration didn't provide enough support for her doomed presidential bid

Vice President Kamala Harris told comedian Jimmy Kimmel that the Biden administration did not provide enough support for her 2024 presidential bid, remarks she offered during a roughly 20-minute appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The interview touched on the Epstein files, her new book, and the direction of her public profile as she tests messaging ahead of potential future races.

Asked whether Biden and the administration did everything they could to aid her campaign, Harris said, "Certainly I think we needed more time. And from certain places in the administration, we needed more support." The remarks come as Harris leans into a broader publicity push tied to her memoir, 107 Days, and a more visible public schedule that has included a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting, Axios reported.

When pressed about the decision not to release the Epstein files during the Biden administration, Harris offered a carefully calibrated answer: "To give you an answer that will not satisfy your curiosity, we — perhaps to our damage — but we strongly, and rightly, believed that there should be an absolute separation between what we wanted as an administration and what the Department of Justice did. We absolutely adhered to that and it was right to do that." She also acknowledged public questions about the Trump era, saying, "So let’s go through it and I, again, I even map out, first of all, I know that it has felt chaotic. But what we are in fact witnessing is something that is a high velocity event. It is moving quickly, which is the swift implantation of a plan that has been, in a large part decades in the making."

The interview touched on broader themes about the political shift in Washington, with Harris citing long-running organizational efforts she says have aimed to restructure how government exercises checks and balances. She referenced think tanks and legal networks, noting, "The Federalist Society, all of the work that has happened, Heritage Foundation, all the work that has happened over years that it about deconstructing government’s ability to have checks and balances on abuse of power."

As the interview unfolded, Harris framed the era she described as fast-moving and highly orchestrated, while avoiding a detailed timeline of policy decisions from the Biden era. The remarks coincide with a broader strategic push, including expanded book tour activity, a string of public appearances, and a push to outline a potential path to a future presidential bid. Early polls have shown Harris near the top of the field among Democratic potential 2028 contenders, though she has remained noncommittal about running again and has not signaled a formal departure from public life.

Analysts say Harris’s comments reflect a calibrated effort to redefine her stance as she navigates a political environment that has evolved since her first White House bid. By blending personal memoir promotion with pointed critiques of party leadership and its advisory ecosystems, she appears to be positioning herself for a broader national dialogue about governance, accountability, and the future of the Democratic Party. The public conversation also underscores the persistent speculation about whether Harris will mount another bid, and if so, how she would differentiate her message from the current administration's record while maintaining party unity.