Inside Kamala Harris & Hillary Clinton's Friendship
If you've ever wondered what Hillary Clinton really thinks about Kamala Harris, well, wonder no more. The two high-profile politicians might not always have been besties, but they eventually bonded and now share a really special friendship, thanks to their mutual experiences in the volatile world of politics. Clinton and Harris were adversaries during the 2008 Democratic primary, but a lot has changed since then. The former Secretary of State tried and failed to secure the presidency in 2016, and unfortunately, history repeated itself in 2024 when Harris made her own bid for the White House. But, when news broke that President Joe Biden was dropping out of the race and Harris was the new presumptive nominee, Clinton was the first to publicly endorse her, and she continued to champion the vice president throughout her campaign.
Speaking to The 19th, in August 2024, Clinton confirmed that she'd known Harris since the vice president's years working in the San Francisco District Attorney's office. "I've always had a really high opinion of her and her talents and her record of public service," the former first lady explained. She also described Harris as a gifted individual with "a good understanding of what the job of being a leader should be."
In an interview with USA Today, Clinton touched on how her friendship with Harris grew over the years. "It just evolved into regular check-ins and visits whenever we could fit it in," she shared, adding that the VP often reached out during her White House tenure. Harris' communications director, Brian Fallon, weighed in too, noting that the former prosecutor had great reverence for Clinton and "values her friendship and counsel."
Harris didn't entirely follow Clinton's lead during her own presidential campaign
When Kamala Harris faced off against Donald Trump in their first and only presidential debate, the twice-elected president's behavior showed telltale signs of Donald Trump's confidence crumbling, and the reason this happened can, in large part, be attributed to some advice Hillary Clinton gave to the vice president ahead of the big night — to bait Trump as much as possible and essentially let him hang himself. Harris took the advice to heart, and she shone. As Clinton told USA Today in the aftermath of the fiery debate, "She did an incredibly good job triggering him and letting people see him for who he is." While Harris took her friend's advice to heart in this particular instance, she notably veered away from using the same messaging Clinton did during her 2016 campaign.
The former Secretary of State built her platform predominantly around the significance of her becoming the first female president of the United States. In stark contrast, however, Harris did not. Instead, she let this fact speak for itself and didn't focus on overly feminist messaging. Instead, the VP used her personal history and her previous work as a prosecutor to propel her campaign forward.
Despite the various zingers Harris delivered at Trump during her campaign and her efforts to differentiate her messaging from Clinton's, the former prosecutor ultimately found herself in the same position as her famous friend did in 2016, with Trump emerging the victor. But, thankfully, it's likely that this new defeat the two women have in common will only serve to bring them closer.