Former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote in an excerpt of her forthcoming memoir that members of President Joe Biden’s inner circle allowed her to shoulder blame for the administration’s immigration problems and failed to publicly defend her work, arguing in part that her rising popularity during the 2024 campaign threatened the president’s standing.
The excerpt of 107 Days, obtained by The Atlantic and quoted in news reports, says Harris was tasked with overseeing immigration but that the White House communications operation largely left her to fend for herself as negative narratives took hold. "When Republicans mischaracterized my role as ‘border czar,’ no one in the White House comms team helped me to effectively push back and explain what I had really been tasked to do, nor to highlight any of the progress I had achieved," she wrote.
Harris said the lack of support extended beyond inaction, asserting that some White House aides added "fuel to negative narratives" and allowed inaccurate or unfair stories to stand. "Instead, I shouldered the blame for the porous border, an issue that had proved intractable for Democratic and Republican administrations alike," she wrote. "No one around the president advocated, Give her something she can win with."
She described the White House’s approach as "zero-sum," saying some aides viewed her visibility as diminishing the president rather than reinforcing his judgment in selecting her. "Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well," Harris wrote, adding that visible success as vice president "was vital" amid concerns about Biden’s age.
Harris also criticized the administration’s public-relations posture, saying it was difficult to secure positive messages about her work even though the White House maintained an active communications operation that included daily briefings. She wrote that Karine Jean-Pierre and other communicators did not regularly defend her when negative stories arose.
The former vice president’s account ties her tenure overseeing immigration and the administration’s handling of the U.S. border to broader political dynamics within the Biden White House. Immigration policy and cross-border flows were contentious issues during Biden’s term and became a focal point in the 2024 campaign, generating criticism from Republicans and scrutiny from observers across the political spectrum.
Harris has been writing about her experience after leaving office and is also chronicling her 2024 presidential bid, according to the excerpt. The memoir aims to recount her role in the administration as well as her reflections on the political and operational challenges she faced.
The excerpt does not include a detailed response from current White House officials or from Biden himself. The Atlantic reported the passage on Wednesday; other news outlets summarized the same claims. The book, 107 Days, is scheduled for publication later this year, and the excerpt adds to an ongoing public debate about decision-making and messaging inside the Biden administration during a politically fraught period.