Harris recounts fateful Biden call in first campaign interview

VP says president phoned her about dropping out after Sunday pancakes

20240830 The interview Kamala Harris with CNN

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to CNN in her first interview since she became the Democratic Party's candidate for the November presidential election. (Screenshot from CNN's website)

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

August 30, 2024 13:06 JST

WASHINGTON -- In her first sit-down interview as the Democratic nominee for the White House, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris recounted the moment she received the fateful call from President Joe Biden informing her that he was abandoning his own reelection campaign.

Harris told Dana Bash of CNN that her family, including her young nieces, had "just had pancakes" and were "sitting down to do a puzzle" when the phone rang on the Sunday morning of July 21. When Biden told her of his decision, she said her first response was to ask the president, "Are you sure?"