Kamala Harris sat down with Stephen Colbert for her first interview since the election, where she voiced her frustration with the current state of American politics and hinted that her days of seeking elected office may be behind her. The vice president, who was defeated in a landslide by President Donald Trump, said the political system itself has become dysfunctional.
During the interview with Colbert — whose tenure as host of “The Late Show” is coming to a close — Harris was asked whether, after bowing out of the 2026 California governor’s race, she might have her sights set on another political role.
“No … it’s perhaps more basic than that,” Harris said in response.
Explaining her position, she continued, “Recently I made the decision that I just, for now, I don’t want to go back in the system. I think it’s broken.”
Despite having run a campaign that brought in over a billion dollars, Harris fell short in every battleground state, lost the Electoral College, and was defeated in the popular vote by Trump last fall.
Reflecting on the experience and the state of the country, she remarked, “I always believed that as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles. And I think, right now, that they’re not as strong as they need to be. And I just don’t want to, for now — I don’t want to go back in the system.”
Instead, Harris said she’s hoping to connect with Americans in a different way. “I want to travel the country. I want to listen to people. I want to talk with people. And I don’t want it to be transactional, where I’m asking for their vote.”
Colbert, who had supported the Biden-Harris ticket and hosted a campaign fundraiser for President Biden before he exited the race, seemed taken aback by Harris’ desire to step away from politics.
“It’s harrowing,” he commented after hearing her bleak take on the political landscape.
Looking surprised, Colbert followed up, saying, “I’m hearing you don’t want to be a part of the fight anymore.”
Harris quickly pushed back. “Oh, absolutely not. I’m always going to be part of the fight.”
Her latest appearance on “The Late Show” — her eighth time on the program — coincides with the upcoming launch of her new book, 107 Days, which she called a “behind-the-scene sharing of what it means to run for president.”
While she acknowledged that her campaign against Trump was “very intense,” Harris confessed that pursuing the presidency was never her lifelong goal.
“There are some people who are born or grow up believing, ‘I’m going to be president. I want to be president’ — that wasn’t me,” she said.
Colbert also asked about the period after Biden’s widely criticized debate performance in June 2024, and whether she had been encouraged to step up and take his place.
“There were some who did,” Harris admitted. “But I — listen, it was, it was Joe’s decision, and he made that decision.”
Later in the conversation, Colbert tried to get her to name who she sees as the current figurehead of the Democratic Party, but Harris declined to single anyone out.
“There are lots of leaders,” she said. “I’m not going to go through names, because then I’m going to leave somebody out, and then I’m going to hear about it.”
Asked how long it took her to start watching the news again after Trump’s victory, Harris replied without hesitation: “Months.”
“I’m just not into self-mutilation,” she said.
Wicked woman. Why did she marry that duffus Jew?
She’s a rachmanus, only she doesn’t merit rachmanus. What a pathetic lady.