Kamala Harris raises alarm about ‘broken’ US democracy

Former Vice President Kamala Harris expressed concerns about the state of the country’s political system, calling it “broken” in her first interview since leaving office on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Thursday evening.

What she’s saying: After decades as a “devout public servant,” Harris, the first woman, first Asian and first Black person to serve as vice president, told Colbert her decision not to run for California governor in 2026 was because she “doesn’t want to go back in the system. I think it’s broken.”

“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,” she added.

She also criticized Congress for “sitting on their hands” regarding President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and denounced the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision.

Political plans: Harris told Colbert that she instead hopes to travel the country and engage with voters. “I don’t want it to be transactional where I’m asking for their vote,” she noted. Harris said she also wants to remind those who feel “deflated and despondent and afraid” of their power and importance in making a difference.

At present, Harris continues to work on her upcoming memoir “107 Days,” which will chronicle her abbreviated presidential campaign after former President Joe Biden, who warned of “dark days” for democracy in a speech on Thursday, stepped down as the Democratic nominee last summer. The book will include behind-the-scenes details, including when she received Biden’s withdrawal call and her team “turned it into a war room,” making more than a hundred calls that day.