Kamala Harris Is Deeply Sad About Biden’s Claim He Could Have Won the Election

US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris
MANDEL NGAN / Mandel Ngan/Getty Images

Kamala Harris has told friends that she is deeply sad about President Joe Biden’s claim that he could have won the 2024 election.

Biden said in an interview at the start of January that he thought he could have defeated Donald Trump.

“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes... based on the polling,” he said, speaking to USA Today, later clarifying that he meant both he and Harris “could have... would have” beaten Trump.

Harris told friends that she is disappointed by Biden’s comments, sources told The Wall Street Journal, and people close to Harris told the publication that Biden’s statement demonstrated “one-sided loyalty.”

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The report is another sign of strains in the pair’s relationship, following a frosty appearance by Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff at the late former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral this month.

Harris has been a loyal supporter of Biden throughout his presidency, even after his disastrous performance at the debate in June, when other Democrats were calling on him to step down.

She has occasionally had to distance herself from some of Biden’s more notorious gaffes, such as when he called Trump supporters “garbage.”

Vice President Kamala Harris listens as U.S. President Joe Biden. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris listens as U.S. President Joe Biden. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Harris and Emhoff have had a difficult few weeks as she prepares to leave public office for the first time since 2004.

The day after Harris presided over the formal process for the certification of her election loss, she had to cancel her last foreign trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany to help with the government’s response to the Los Angeles wildfires.

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Last week, her home in the city’s Brentwood neighborhood came under evacuation orders.

Harris is reportedly considering a bid for California governor in 2026, as well as taking on speaking engagements and writing a book to maintain her public profile.

She also hasn’t ruled out running for president again in 2028.