During her October 2024 interview on the ABC show, former President Joe Biden denied telling former Vice President Kamala Harris that there could be no “daylight” between them while she was on the campaign trail. Biden also defended what was widely perceived as a missed chance for the vice president to set herself apart from Biden.
Sunny Hostin, her co-host, mentioned the query she had asked Harris prior to the election. At the moment, Hostin asked Harris if there was anything he would have done differently than Biden. Harris said, “not a thing comes to mind.”
After claiming that the vice president’s response was “weaponized against her,” Hostin questioned Biden about the rumor that he had warned Harris during her campaign that “there could be no daylight” between the two.
“Well, look, first of all, I did not advise her to say that, number one. Like I said, I was vice president. I understand the role, number one. Number two, I think it was, I think she was talking about, she wouldn’t have changed the successes we had, not opposed to, we wouldn’t change anything at all. She has to be her own person, and she was. She was. And so I think that was used in a way that is contrary to what she meant by it, when she said that and I think that, you know, she was part of every success we had,” according to the former president.
Biden “would say publicly that Harris should do what she must to win,” according to a book written by writers Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes. However, he reiterated a warning in private, particularly when speaking to her: “Let there be no daylight between us.”
“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,” they stated. “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.”
During the interview on Thursday, Hostin asked the former president to address those who argued that he ought to have withdrawn from the race sooner to give Harris more time, pointing out that Harris’ campaign lasted about ninety days.
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“I say, number one, that there were still six full months, she was in every aspect, every decision I made, every decision we made, and I don’t think, I hope I don’t sound the wrong way. I don’t think anybody thought we’d be successful as we were,” Biden stated.
On July 21, 2024, Biden announced his withdrawal from the race. In addition to a few additional weeks, Harris was left with the entire months of August, September, and October to manage her campaign.
The former president said he wasn’t shocked by Trump’s victory and blamed racism and sexism for Harris’ defeat.
Following the election, Hostin also attributed Harris’ defeat to racism and misogyny.
People find it extremely hard to accept that racism and misogyny still exist in our nation. Hostin pointed to a graph that displayed “a clear racial divide” between those who voted for Trump and those who voted for Harris. “As a country, it’s very difficult for people to believe that racism and misogyny, they’re just alive and well. I think that we don’t want to think that about ourselves, our neighbors, our friends, but it’s – my lived experience tells me that it does still exist, even if your lived experience doesn’t tell that it exists and, you know, the facts support that,” Hostin stated.
