Former Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t take kindly to tough questions about Joe Biden’s debate performance—and according to a new book, she privately lashed out at CNN’s Anderson Cooper for daring to hold her accountable.

The revelation comes from Original Sin, a newly released political exposé co-authored by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson. The book claims Harris exploded in frustration behind closed doors after Cooper challenged her on-air about Biden’s disastrous 2024 debate against then-candidate—and now President—Donald Trump.

“This motherf—– 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 incident centers around a tense June interview in which Cooper pressed Harris on growing Democrat unease over Biden’s mental state following his visibly faltering debate performance. At the time, Cooper cited multiple Democratic lawmakers who had publicly described Biden’s performance as “a disaster” and “a trainwreck.”

“Those are Democrats especially worried that Biden did not punch back on Trump‘s lies,” Cooper said.

Harris attempted to downplay the moment, deflecting concerns as mere “style points,” and insisted the real issue should be “substance.” But Cooper didn’t let her off the hook.

“You debated against then-Vice President Biden four years ago, and he was a very different person on the stage... That‘s certainly true, is it not?” Cooper asked.

Harris dismissed the suggestion that the public had just witnessed Biden’s mental decline in real time.

“I got the point that you’re making about a one-and-a-half hour debate tonight,” she responded tersely. “I‘m talking about three-and-a-half years of performance in work that has been historic.”

As Cooper pressed further, Harris visibly bristled and snapped back.

“I‘m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I‘ve been watching the last three-and-a-half years of performance.”

The interview was widely interpreted as defensive and unconvincing, especially in light of the escalating concerns—even from within the Democratic Party—about Biden’s cognitive decline.

That concern wasn’t new. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had long attempted to run cover for Biden, even in the face of mounting evidence.

In a 2022 interview with then-CNN anchor Don Lemon, Jean-Pierre pushed back when asked if Biden had the stamina for another term.

“That is not a question that we should be even asking,” she said. “He’s the President of the United States… just look at the work he does.”

The press secretary would go on to deny reports that Biden was frequently ending his workday before noon or that staffers were coddling him behind the scenes.

“No one treats the President of the United States, the commander in chief, like a baby. That’s ridiculous,” Jean-Pierre declared in September 2023.

But the issue exploded once again after Special Counsel Robert Hur chose not to prosecute Biden for mishandling classified documents, citing the likelihood that a jury would see him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

Jean-Pierre tried to dismiss the report’s devastating assessment of Biden’s mental acuity.

“The reality is, that part of the report does not live in reality. It is gratuitous. It is unacceptable,” she claimed at the time.

Yet for many Americans, especially after watching the 2024 debate, the reality was plain to see. And when even a CNN anchor presses for accountability, it appears former Vice President Harris couldn’t take the heat.

Her profane response to Anderson Cooper behind closed doors speaks volumes—not just about her temperament, but about an administration that spent years denying what voters could see with their own eyes: Joe Biden was unfit for the job, and those around him knew it.

Now, as President Trump leads from the Oval Office once again, it’s clearer than ever that the American people demanded strength, clarity, and competence—not excuses, spin, or tantrums from failed leadership.