Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro delivered a scathing rebuke of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ new book on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, calling portions of her account “complete and utter bs” during an interview with The Atlantic.
The explosive confrontation centered on Harris’ memoir “107 Days,” which chronicles her 2024 presidential campaign. In the book, Harris describes her interview with Shapiro when she was vetting him as a potential running mate before ultimately selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The 52-year-old Pennsylvania governor, who has maintained a 60 percent approval rating in the crucial battleground state, was blindsided by the book’s contents and received no advance notice from Harris despite knowing her for 20 years.
Harris wrote that Shapiro inquired about featuring Pennsylvania artists in the vice presidential residence during their meeting at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. She also claimed he insisted he would want to be in the room for every decision she might make as president. The former vice president went further, alleging that Shapiro hijacked the conversation during what was supposed to be his job interview, prompting her to remind him that the vice presidency is not a co-presidency.
When The Atlantic reporter Tim Alberta presented these passages to Shapiro during an interview conducted earlier in the fall of 2025, the typically composed governor’s reaction was immediate and unfiltered. “I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies,” Shapiro stated emphatically after learning of Harris’ characterization of their meeting.
Shapiro acknowledged that he did ask questions during the interview process, defending his approach as natural for someone considering a potential partnership. He expressed particular frustration with Harris.
In a moment of visible anger, the governor initially said Harris was trying to sell books and cover herself, but quickly caught himself. He retracted the comment as inappropriate, saying instead that she was simply trying to sell books, period. The exchange marked a rare instance of Shapiro losing his characteristic composure, revealing tensions that had been simmering between the two Democratic leaders.
In “107 Days,” Harris described Shapiro as a talented political athlete but expressed concern that he would be unable to settle for a subordinate role. The former vice president also suggested that she was concerned for Shapiro himself, questioning whether frustrations with the vice presidential role might impact his performance and whether it made sense to remove an effective Democratic governor from a position in which he excelled.
The meeting occurred during a challenging period for Shapiro, who faced antisemitic attacks during the vetting process. As the first Jewish governor of Pennsylvania in over a decade, he dealt with discriminatory innuendo from elements of the political left while Harris was making her running mate selection. The contentious interview took place with Shapiro arriving in what sources described as an edgy mood, chafing at efforts by fellow Democrats to sabotage his candidacy.
People close to Shapiro indicated he had lost respect for Harris during the 2024 campaign, particularly regarding what he viewed as her failure to address President Joe Biden’s obvious decline. In Shapiro’s assessment, given the existential stakes for both the Democratic Party and American democracy, Harris’ lapses during the election were unforgivable. Harris ultimately lost the presidential election to Donald Trump, surrendering all seven swing states.
The public feud comes as Shapiro is widely expected to mount a presidential campaign in 2028. His political career has been marked by consistent electoral success in Pennsylvania, where he has spent roughly half his life on the ballot without losing a race. The governor’s approach emphasizes competence and outreach to voters across the political spectrum, including those who supported Trump.
Shapiro has deliberately maintained distance from constant partisan warfare, avoiding frequent cable news appearances and podcast circuits. Even while engaging in regular policy disputes with the White House, he has been careful not to antagonize the MAGA base, believing his party’s path back to power depends more on courting Trump supporters than combating the president himself.
The governor’s team describes him as a master operator with an exceptional ability to diagnose threats, seize opportunities, and deliver the right message at the appropriate moment.
Harris’ book characterizes Shapiro as always poised, polished, and impersonal during their interactions. Despite her reservations about his fit for the vice presidency, she acknowledged his political talents and the strategic importance of Pennsylvania in national elections. The state remains the country’s premier battleground, making Shapiro’s popularity there a significant political asset.
The public nature of this dispute between two prominent Democrats highlights ongoing tensions within the party as it seeks to rebuild following its 2024 electoral losses. Both Harris and Shapiro remain influential figures with national ambitions, and their conflicting accounts of a private meeting underscore the competitive dynamics that will likely shape the party’s future direction and leadership.