Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has recounted an unusual and striking moment involving President Donald Trump, saying she overheard him promoting his book during a phone call she made to check on his well-being after an assassination attempt at his Florida golf course last year. Harris described the experience as both jarring and surreal, given the seriousness of the circumstances surrounding the call.
She shared the anecdote during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday. The conversation arose after host Jimmy Kimmel jokingly referenced Trump’s recent television appearances selling branded watches and asked Harris whether she would have done something similar had she won the presidency. Harris responded with a smile but avoided directly engaging with the comparison, instead pivoting to mention her own recently released memoir, 107 Days.
While reflecting on the phone call, Harris emphasised that it followed what she considered a deeply grave and sobering incident. She explained that after learning of the attempt on Trump’s life, she reached out to him purely out of concern. “It was actually a very sad occasion,” she told Kimmel, noting that the call was intended to be a moment of compassion and seriousness.
However, Harris said the tone of the conversation quickly became strange. According to her account, while she was initially told that Trump would be joining the call shortly, she could hear him in the background engaged in a completely different activity. She recalled overhearing Trump actively selling his book to someone else during the call, a detail she said was hard to reconcile with the gravity of the situation.
Harris explained that the contrast between the seriousness of an assassination attempt on a former president and active presidential candidate, and the casual commercial activity happening simultaneously, was particularly striking. She described it as unbelievable, though she added that, given her experiences, it was ultimately not surprising.
She reiterated that the moment stood out precisely because an attempt on the life of a former president and nominee should have been a solemn moment shared across political lines. Instead, she said, hearing Trump promote his book in the background underscored a sharp and unsettling disconnect.
Harris also writes about the same phone call in her memoir, 107 Days. In the book, she claims that Trump privately complimented her during the conversation, telling her that she had done a great job and remarking that it made it difficult for him to stay angry with her. Harris presents the exchange as one of several behind-the-scenes moments that contrasted with their public political rivalry.
In a separate interview with the BBC in October, Harris said she believes the United States will elect a woman president in the coming years and suggested that it could potentially be her. “I am not done,” she said at the time, signalling that she remains politically active and open to future leadership roles.
Although Harris has not confirmed whether she plans to run for president in 2028, she dismissed the idea that polling numbers or perceived odds would deter her. She said her career has always been rooted in public service and that she has never allowed polls to define her decisions or ambitions.
