Kamala Harris said in an interview Thursday that she does not plan to run for office again following her defeat by President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Speaking with Stephen Colbert on CBS’s “The Late Show,” Harris described the American political system as “broken” and said she had no immediate interest in reentering politics.
“No… it’s perhaps more basic than that,” Harris said when Colbert asked if she was considering a “different office.”
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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.”
Harris lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College to Trump in November 2024, failing to carry any swing states despite raising over $1 billion for her campaign.
🚨 Kamala Harris, who blew over $1.5 Billion on her failed Presidential Campaign is on the Stephen Colbert Show, which loses $50 Million a year!
Two losers who were both canceled by the American People.
Good Riddance to both pic.twitter.com/TWYsjtQWdj
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) August 1, 2025
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The appearance on “The Late Show” was her first televised interview since the election.
“I always believed that as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles,” Harris said.
“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.”
“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,” Harris added.
Kamala tells Colbert that the system is too “broken” for her to run for office right now.
Recently, the American people rejected both Kamala and Colbert. pic.twitter.com/TwtgXW7mze
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 1, 2025
Colbert, who previously moderated a campaign fundraiser for Joe Biden, expressed surprise at Harris’ decision and the tone of her remarks.
“It’s harrowing,” Colbert said.
“I’m hearing you don’t want to be a part of the fight anymore.”
Harris responded, “Oh, absolutely not. I’m always going to be part of the fight.”
The interview aired just one day after Harris announced she would not run for governor of California in 2026.
During the interview, she promoted her upcoming book, 107 Days, which she said offers “a behind-the-scenes sharing of what it means to run for president.”
Harris described the 2024 campaign as “very intense,” and acknowledged that she never had presidential ambitions growing up.
“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,” Harris told Colbert.
Colbert also questioned Harris about the period following Biden’s debate performance in June 2024 and whether others were encouraging her to prepare to step in as the nominee.
“There were some who did,” Harris said. “But I – listen, it was, it was Joe’s decision, and he made that decision.”
Harris declined to name any individual she sees as the current leader of the Democratic Party.
“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.”
When asked how long she waited to watch the news after her election loss, Harris replied, “months,” adding, “I’m just not into self mutilation.”
Yikes. Kamala Harris makes an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s cancelled show to reflect on her landslide loss.
She cackles and says she hasn’t watched the news for months because she’s “not into self-mutilation”… and has just been watching cooking shows instead:
COLBERT:… pic.twitter.com/awYpy9Mj0t
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 1, 2025
Harris’s appearance on “The Late Show” marked her eighth time on the program.