Former Vice President Harris Hints at Another Presidential Run in BBC Interview
"If I Had Believed the Polls, I Wouldn't Be Here Now"
White House: "The Public Is Not Interested in His Lies"
Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has hinted at another presidential run. According to Yonhap News, Harris stated in an interview with the BBC on the 25th (local time), "I am not done yet," making it clear that she has not concluded her political journey.
Harris mentioned her young grandnieces, saying, "They will definitely see a woman inaugurated as president." When the interviewer asked if that woman could be her, she replied, "It could be," leaving open the possibility of running. Regarding her currently low approval ratings among Democratic presidential candidates, she said, "If I had believed the polls, I wouldn't be here now."
The interview also included sharp criticism of President Donald Trump. She recalled, "(When I heard the results of last year's election) I kept repeating, 'Oh God, what will happen to America?'" Regarding the temporary suspension of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" talk show after she made jokes criticizing the Trump administration, she claimed, "They used federal agencies for political satire." She also criticized major U.S. corporations, saying, "They bowed to power from day one."
Commenting on the interview, White House Communications Director Abigail Jackson said, "Americans are not interested in his outrageous lies," adding, "That's probably why he vented his frustrations to foreign media."
Former Vice President Kamala Harris attended the first book tour of her book "107 Days" at a New York town hall on Wednesday, the 24th of last month. Photo by AP News Agency
Last month, Harris published a memoir titled "107 Days," referring to the duration of her presidential campaign, and shared her thoughts on the election process. She is currently conducting a domestic book tour to promote it. As she, who had previously refrained from public activities, embarks on this tour, there is growing speculation that she is preparing for the next presidential race.
In her book, she also revealed the atmosphere inside the White House surrounding former President Biden's withdrawal from the candidacy. She recalled that she had "known for a long time" about Biden's cognitive decline and other health issues, but said she was "in the worst position (because I was vice president)" to urge him not to run.
Harris also claimed that after Biden's midterm withdrawal, people around him either failed to actively support her or simply stood by. She said, "Their thinking was zero-sum. If she (Harris) shines, he (Biden) fades," adding, "My success mattered to him, but his team did not understand that. It seemed as if they decided I needed to be cut down a bit more."
Meanwhile, some analysts say Harris's book tour is contributing to divisions among Democratic supporters in the United States. Previously, the BBC pointed out that "Harris's book tour has been attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters who oppose the Biden administration's Middle East policy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
