Harris Details Critical Moments From Early Presidential Campaign in New Memoir
WASHINGTON โ – Vice President Kamala Harris recounts a series of pivotal moments during the initial 107 days of her 2020 presidential campaign in her forthcoming memoir, offering a candid look at challenges faced and โlessons learned as sheโค navigated a crowdedโ Democratic primary. The book details specific instancesโค that shaped her strategy and public perception, revealing the intense pressure and scrutiny she experienced while vying for the nomination. Thes early experiences,โ Harris argues, where formative in preparing her for the vice presidency.
The periodโ between January and April 2020 proved crucial for establishing Harris as a viable candidate, but alsoโ exposedโ vulnerabilities that opponents quickly exploited. Her account highlights โขthree key moments – a fundraising stumble, a contentious exchange on The View, and immediate attacksโค from then-President Donald Trump – that tested her campaign’s resilience and forced a recalibration of her messaging. Understanding these early trials provides insightโ intoโค the strategic decisions that ultimately led to her selection as Joe Biden‘s running mate and, later, to the White House.
one earlyโ setback centered around fundraising. Harris describes an initial struggle to meet aspiring financial goals, realizing the need to aggressively court donors and build โa robust fundraising operation. She acknowledges a miscalculation in assuming her profile alone โwouldโข generate sufficient support,prompting a shift towardsโข more proactive outreach and targeted fundraising events.
A particularly damaging moment, as detailed in the memoir, occurred duringโ a July 12, 2019 appearance on ABC’s The โView. When asked whatโ she would have done differently than Joe Biden, Harris responded, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.” She now characterizes the answer as a critical error in judgment, stating, “Everything about my appearance onโ The View was going โwell. Until it wasn’t.” The remark quickly drew criticism and became fodder for attacks,โ particularly from the Trumpโข campaign, which used it in advertisements to portray herโ as overly loyal toโข Biden and lacking self-reliant vision. Harris writes that the response was “aโ gift to the Trump campaign, and they used it in ad after ad to shackle meโข to โanโฃ unpopular president.”
Following the Theโข View appearance, President Trump swiftly condemned Harris’s answer, labeling it “her โขdumbest answer so far” and accusing her of being “exposed as a ‘dummy’ every timeโ she doesโ a show.” this direct assault underscored the intensity of the scrutiny she faced and theโฃ immediate political consequences of perceived missteps. Harris recounts that her staff was “beside themselves” in theโฃ wake of the backlash,โ recognizing the โฃpotential for lasting damage to herโฃ campaign.