A political book that was just released has caused headlines because it claims former Vice President Kamala Harris angrily responded to Anderson Cooper after he pressed her following President Joe Biden’s bad showing in a 2024 presidential debate. CNN’s Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson say in their book, Original Sin, that Harris used strong language in response to what she saw as disrespect from the journalist.
A Heated Exchange
Only a few days after Biden’s June 2024 debate with Donald Trump, where media attention lifted concerns about the president’s state of mind, the incident happened. Although her team advised her not to address the media, Harris chose to go on CNN and defend the president.
Talking to Anderson Cooper, Harris was asked if Biden should reconsider his plans to run, in light of the growing panic among Democrats. Harris responded, saying Biden had a modest beginning but picked up in the final stretch. She also said, “Different people have differing opinions about the style,” and focused on what the president accomplished over the entire four years instead of just the address.
The show says that Harris was angry after hearing many Democrats’ views on her performance. Aides claim Harris called Cooper “a motherf—er” and said, “I am the vice president of the United States and he does not treat me that way.” I felt like we should be better than behaving that way.
Book Offers Behind-the-Scenes Details
The author gives an account of rising pressures in the background of the Biden campaign. The book outlines the issues the Biden team faced when they prepared Biden for the debates. Preparations started at Camp David on January 26, but the president slept through the whole rehearsal day, according to the authors. Because his voice was weak and disjointed, aides began to cut short his given speeches and appearances on TV.
But while Biden took steps to limit public exposure and heavily edited video appearances, his performance was little better, stirring growing fears about his ability to serve a second term. In the end, Biden became the first sitting president since Lyndon Johnson in 1968 to choose against a re-election campaign.
Later, Biden revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones — likely a contributing factor in his physical and cognitive issues during that time.
Mixed Reactions to Harris’s Comments
Responses to Harris’s stated comments have been ambiguous. The vice president had every right to be upset, his defenders say, given the scale on which the president was under attack. But critics read the outburst as an overreaction that should be seen as a lapse of professionalism in an otherwise professional job.
Harris has not spoken publicly about Original Sin’s revelations at a fraught moment for the vice president, as rumors about her political future swirl. Now that Biden has removed himself from the 2024 contest, Harris’ name has often been floated as a prospective Democrat primary competitor, but her approval ratings remain divided nationally.
A Reminder of Politics and Press Tensions
It also highlights the often-troubled marriage between politicians and the press. Veteran journalist Anderson Cooper, known for tough but respectful interviews, hasn’t commented publicly on the book’s claims. But the CNN interview was widely seen as emblematic of media accountability as concerns mount about the president’s health and fitness to serve.
In a climate of diminishing public trust in the same leaders who told us about the threat of Russian hacking and raised concerns about our cybersecurity, Harris’s remarks — whether interpreted as an authentic moment of human emotion or a political misstep — are sure to remain part of the public conversation as 2025’s political season plays out and voters consider what sorts of leadership and communication and cool under pressure they want from those in public office.
