Dem Governor Calls Out Kamala Harris Over Biden’s Decline: ‘Going To Have To Answer’

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told ESPN host Stephen A. Smith that former Vice President Kamala Harris is “going to have to answer” for her failure to inform the public on Joe Biden’s mental and physical decline while he was serving in the White House.

During Thursday’s edition of his “Straight Shooter” podcast, Smith asked Shapiro why Harris did not share her concerns over Biden’s health before revealing them in her upcoming “107 Days” memoir.

“I haven’t read the former vice president’s book, and she’s going to have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly,” the governor responded. Shapiro — who was widely viewed as a top contender to serve as Harris’ running mate before she selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — told Smith that he had been “extremely vocal” about Biden’s growing inability to run the country.

“I can tell you that I tried to speak to them candidly about it and to do so in a constructive manner. I believe in talking directly to the individuals, not running around and talking to the media,” Shapiro said. “I don’t mean that disrespectfully, but I think in that moment, you’ve got to be direct, and I was.”

Smith then asked Shapiro — who has enjoyed high approval ratings throughout his term as governor — whether he intends to launch a White House bid in 2028 and if so, which issues he believes are most important. Before answering the question, Shapiro said that he loves serving as governor of Pennsylvania and does not take his current office for granted, as he is up for re-election in 2026.

“I also love this country, and I really believe, for the many of the reasons as you and I were talking about at the beginning of this conversation, we are at an inflection point, and I am troubled by what I’m seeing in this country, and I’m concerned about what I’m seeing in my party and I know that I have a voice that needs to be heard in that process,” he added. “How that voice ultimately gets heard, how it manifests itself, what I ultimately do, well we’ll see. I don’t think that’s a decision that one can make sitting here right now.”

Shapiro headlined multiple rallies for Harris in the days following then-President Biden’s decision to bow out of the presidential race last July, leading to widespread reporting at the time that he was being considered as a potential running mate.

Harris was unexpectedly critical of Shapiro in her memoir, however, in which she shared concerns that he would struggle with accepting a second-in-command role. According to a snippet published by The Washington Post, Harris essentially felt Shapiro was arrogant and too sure of his ability to clinch the role.

“Before he had even made it through the door for the interview at the vice president’s residence, Harris writes that Shapiro began asking her residence manager about how many bedrooms were in the house and wondered aloud about whether the Smithsonian might work with him to loan Pennsylvania art for the residence,” The Post reported. Harris further mused that Shapiro would “want to be in the room for every decision” before claiming that she confronted him over the dynamic.

Harris also used the book to take shots at her eventual running mate, Tim Walz, by claiming that she would have much rather selected former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. She ultimately decided that America was “not ready” for Buttigieg’s status as a gay man and opted to settle on Walz.