*A forthcoming memoir by Jill Biden offers her account of the events surrounding Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, including a private conversation with former Vice President Kamala Harris that took place shortly afterward.
In “View from the East Wing,” Jill recounts what she says happened on July 21, 2024, at the Biden family’s beach house in Delaware. According to her account, Joe Biden called Harris on speakerphone to inform her of his decision to leave the race, MEAWW reports.
Jill writes that Harris initially reacted with surprise. “Oh my God, Joe. Are you sure?” she recalls Harris saying. The discussion then shifted to the future of the Democratic nomination and the question of who would emerge as the party’s candidate.
According to Jill’s version of events, Harris urged Biden to move quickly in publicly endorsing a successor. Jill describes Harris during the conversation as a “courtroom prosecutor” and writes that she pressed for an immediate decision rather than allowing time for other potential candidates to enter the discussion.
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The memoir says Biden suggested waiting until the following day before making an endorsement. Harris disagreed, arguing that a delay could create an opportunity for rivals to gain momentum. “I want it sooner,” Harris told him. After Biden responded that he needed time to consider the matter, she followed up with another request: “Could you do it soon? Say, in twenty minutes?”
Jill writes that she stepped away from the conversation after that exchange. Biden ultimately endorsed Harris soon after ending his reelection bid, effectively eliminating the possibility of a contested nomination process ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Elsewhere, the book revisits tensions that Jill says dated back several years. She traces her skepticism of Harris to the 2019 Democratic primary, when Harris challenged Joe Biden over his position on federally mandated busing during a debate.
According to the memoir, the confrontation left a lasting impression on Jill. The book notes that she later expressed her frustration in blunt terms, telling supporters, “Go f**k yourself.”
Despite that history, the memoir indicates that any disagreements between the Biden and Harris camps remained largely out of public view throughout their time serving together in the administration.
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