Lisa Stranger

2025-04-03 18:08:24

Obama was working against Kamala Harris behind the scenes, didn't think she could win, new book reveals

"In one moment, he had set up a phone call with Congressman [James] Clyburn from South Carolina on the day that Joe Biden handed off the baton to Kamala Harris, and Obama had set up a call with Clyburn for like 5:30 that afternoon. And Clyburn thought to himself, this guy is going to try to rope me into the open convention thing, I better get my endorsement of Harris out there fast, so this is a short conversation," Allen said.

"But the day of the debate Biden called to give Harris an unusual kind of pep talk — and another reminder about the loyalty he demanded. No longer able to defend his own record, he expected Harris to protect his legacy," authors Allen and Parnes wrote. "Whether she won or lost the election, he thought, she would only harm him by publicly distancing herself from him — especially during a debate that would be watched by millions of Americans. To the extent that she wanted to forge her own path, Biden had no interest in giving her room to do so."

Biden told Harris, "No daylight, kid," during their phone call ahead of the debate, according to the book excerpt.

yahoo.com/news/obama-working-a…

Obama was working against Kamala Harris behind the scenes, didn't think she could win, new book reveals

Reporter Jonathan Allen said Tuesday that former President Obama worked against VP Kamala Harris as she sought to replace President Biden on the top of the...

^{Hanna Panreck (Yahoo News)}