In a striking revelation from the new political tell-all Original Sin, authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, former Vice President Kamala Harris allegedly referred to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper as a “motherf—er” following a tense post-debate interview in 2024, during which she was pressed on President Joe Biden’s mental acuity.
The book offers an unfiltered look at behind-the-scenes tensions within the Democratic Party following Biden’s widely criticized debate performance against former President Donald Trump. According to Tapper and Thompson, the outburst occurred after Cooper challenged Harris over growing concerns from within the party about Biden’s cognitive state.
“This motherf—er doesn’t treat me like the damn vice president of the United States,” Harris reportedly told colleagues after the interview. “I thought we were better than that.”
The June 2024 debate was a turning point in the presidential race. Despite years of Republican criticism regarding Biden’s age and fitness, it wasn’t until his halting, at times incoherent performance during the debate that Democrats began to publicly question his viability as the party’s nominee.
CNN’s Cooper, moderating a post-debate town hall, confronted Harris with blunt assessments circulating among Democratic lawmakers, including that Biden’s performance was a “train wreck” and a “disaster.” Harris tried to deflect, insisting the president merely had a “slow start” and emphasizing his broader track record.
“I got the point that you’re making about a one-and-a-half-hour debate tonight — I’m talking about three and a half years of performance and work that has been historic,” Harris said.
But Cooper pressed harder, pointing out that the Biden-Harris campaign had lobbied for the debate and should have anticipated the scrutiny.
“You can’t honestly say — I mean can you say that you are not concerned at all having watched the president’s performance tonight?” Cooper asked.
“It was a slow start. That’s obvious to everyone — I’m not going to debate that point,” Harris acknowledged.
The book sheds further light on the extent of the alarm inside the Biden White House. Tapper and Thompson report that discussions about the president’s declining condition became serious enough for aides to consider using a wheelchair to assist him during public appearances.
According to Tapper, while co-moderating the debate, he messaged colleagues “holy smokes” in real time as Biden struggled through his responses—a moment that seemingly confirmed years of quiet concerns.
The reported outburst at Cooper underscores the deep frustrations felt by Harris and her team. According to the book, aides advised her not to do interviews the night of the debate—a suggestion she rejected. The fallout from that decision has now added another layer of controversy to her already complex legacy within the Biden administration.
In the wake of the 2024 election, Jake Tapper and several other prominent Democrats and media figures have faced accusations of opportunism for publishing “tell-all” books that dissect the very problems they once downplayed. Critics argue that these post-election exposés, including Original Sin, are little more than calculated cash grabs—attempts to profit off a political collapse they helped facilitate or ignored. Tapper, in particular, has been singled out for dismissing early concerns about Biden’s cognitive decline as nothing more than a “stutter,” a characterization many now see as willfully misleading. The timing of these revelations—after the political damage was done—has led some to question whether figures like Tapper are seeking accountability or simply distance from the fallout they once helped obscure.
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I don’t picture any other presidents or presidential candidates using such low-class language. Pretty foul-mouthed for someone who wants to be respected and a classy leader. If you can’t leave the street behind, get out of the kitchen. Open a bar.