Former First Lady Jill Biden is revisiting one of the most consequential moments of the 2024 election cycle, accusing former Vice President Kamala Harris of aggressively pressing President Joe Biden for an immediate endorsement after he ended his reelection bid.

In her forthcoming memoir, View from the East Wing, the former first lady describes a tense phone conversation on July 21, 2024, shortly after Biden informed Harris that he would withdraw from the presidential race. An excerpt portrays Harris as focused on securing Biden’s backing as Democrats scrambled to regroup following his decision.

According to the memoir, Harris initially reacted with surprise.

“Oh my God, Joe. Are you sure?” Harris said, according to Jill Biden’s account.

The former first lady writes that the conversation quickly turned to the question of an endorsement. When Biden suggested waiting until the following morning to make a formal statement supporting Harris, she allegedly pushed back.

“I want it sooner,” Harris replied, according to the memoir excerpt.

Jill Biden writes that Harris continued pressing the president, asking, “Could you do it soon? Say, in 20 minutes?”

The former first lady says she eventually walked out of the room as the discussion continued.

Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race marked one of the most dramatic developments in modern presidential politics. Within roughly 30 minutes of announcing the end of his campaign, Biden publicly endorsed Harris, helping Democrats avoid what many party strategists feared could become a divisive nomination battle ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The memoir also revives questions about the long-reported tensions between Harris and the Biden family.

The relationship became strained during the 2019 Democratic presidential primary when Harris sharply criticized Biden’s record on school busing during a nationally televised debate. The exchange became one of the defining moments of the primary campaign and reportedly left a lasting impression on the future first lady.

Days later, Jill Biden forcefully defended her husband during a conference call with supporters.

“With what he cares about, what he fights for, what he’s committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis? Go f— yourself,” she said, according to audio of the call.

Even after Biden secured the Democratic nomination in 2020, reports suggested Jill Biden remained skeptical of selecting Harris as his running mate.

She privately questioned the choice, reportedly asking: “There are millions of people in the United States. Why do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?”

Despite those reported disagreements, Biden ultimately selected Harris as vice president, and the two served together for the remainder of his administration.

Jill said in an interview this week that she thought her husband was having a stroke during his disastrous debate performance in June 2024.

The memoir’s release is expected to generate renewed scrutiny of the personal dynamics inside the Biden White House and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that followed the president’s historic decision to step aside. It also offers one of the most detailed accounts yet from someone who witnessed the Democratic Party’s transition at the highest levels during a pivotal election year.