Harris says she didn’t have enough time to beat Trump in 2024 election

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said on The View that one of the biggest factors in her 2024 loss to Donald Trump was that she did not have enough time to campaign. The co-host Ana Navarro pressed Harris to name the main reason for the defeat. Harris argued that more time to campaign could have changed the outcome and described the 2024 race as the closest presidential contest of the 21st century. She noted that former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race three and a half months before Election Day, leaving Harris to run against a former president who had pursued the office for a decade, with about 107 days until the election. Her campaign spent roughly $1.5 billion over a 15-week run but still lost the popular vote, the Electoral College and all seven swing states to Trump. Harris is promoting her memoir 107 Days, which recounts that campaign.

Harris's return to The View follows a 2024 campaign cycle that included a widely scrutinized October interview in which she faced questions about how her approach would differ from Biden's. In her forthcoming book she writes that she had an answer prepared for that line of questioning but did not use it; she said she would have told viewers that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet, a point she did not make on air. A staff member handed her a note during a commercial break urging her to return to that line. She later described the moment as a hand grenade for her campaign, saying the damage was done by the time the segment ended.

During the same appearance, Harris described the 2024 contest as the closest presidential race in the 21st century, noting the unusual dynamics and the enormous fundraising effort that accompanied the campaign. The episode of intense scrutiny comes as Harris and the broader Democratic Party confront the 2024 election aftermath and the questions that persisted about the campaign strategy. The outcome included a loss of the popular vote, the Electoral College and all seven swing states. Observers note that despite a 15-week campaign and a $1.5 billion spend, Harris and the Democrats did not convert the late-breaking dynamics into victory in key battlegrounds. In her memoir and public remarks, she emphasizes time, resources and messaging as central challenges of that year.

With the memoir tour underway, Harris plans further media appearances as she reflects on the 2024 race and its lessons for Democratic messaging ahead of future elections. The comments come as Democrats seek to assess how to address time constraints, campaign organization and messaging if they face a similarly formidable opponent in future campaigns.