It happened. After months of speculation and a brutal 2024 election cycle that left the Democratic party reeling, Kamala Harris finally sat down with Steven Bartlett. This wasn't just another campaign stop or a sanitized network news hit. The Diary of a CEO Kamala Harris episode, which dropped in late October 2025, became an instant cultural flashpoint.
People expected talking points. They got a raw, sometimes uncomfortable look at the mechanics of a falling presidency.
Why the Diary of a CEO Kamala Harris Interview Matters Now
Honestly, the timing was everything. By the time this episode aired, Harris had transitioned from the sitting Vice President to a private citizen navigating the aftermath of a historic loss to Donald Trump. The "honeymoon" of her rapid-fire 107-day campaign was over. What remained was a leader trying to reconcile her loyalty to Joe Biden with the stark reality of his decline.
Steven Bartlett has this way of making powerful people drop their guard. He doesn't lead with policy; he leads with the human. In the Diary of a CEO Kamala Harris conversation, we didn't hear about tax brackets first. We heard about the "red flags" she saw months before the June 2024 debate.
The "Something Was Off" Revelation
This was the clip that went viral within minutes. Harris admitted to Bartlett that she noticed "something was a little off" with President Biden well before the public meltdown on the debate stage. It's a heavy admission. You’ve got to wonder about the internal struggle of being the second-in-command while watching the person at the top lose their grip.
She told Bartlett:
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"He didn't want that debate. And you know, it’s like any competition you go in... if you don’t wanna be in the competition, it will absolutely have an impact on your performance."
That quote basically confirmed what every armchair pundit had been shouting for a year. But hearing it from her? That’s different. It shifted the narrative from "she didn't know" to "she was stuck."
The Joe Rogan Regret
One of the most frequent criticisms of the Harris campaign was her refusal to go on The Joe Rogan Experience. In the Diary of a CEO Kamala Harris interview, Bartlett pushed her on this. Hard.
Harris was surprisingly candid about the mistake. She explained that the decision was driven by scheduling and the perceived need to stay in swing states. But looking back? She admitted it was a strategic failure. It highlighted a broader issue within the Democratic establishment: a fear of entering "uncontrolled" environments.
Bartlett’s show is many things, but it isn't "controlled" in the way a 5-minute CNN segment is. By finally appearing on a long-form podcast, Harris was essentially acknowledging that the old media playbook is dead. You can't win the "vibes" war if you aren't willing to sit in the chair for two hours and just... talk.
Lowering the Voting Age to 16?
The policy talk in this episode wasn't dry. It was actually pretty controversial. Harris used the platform to advocate for lowering the minimum voting age to 16. Her reasoning? Gen Z and "climate anxiety."
She argued that since young people—specifically those aged 13 to 27—are the ones who will live through the worst of the climate crisis, they deserve a seat at the table sooner. Predictably, this set the internet on fire. Critics like Ron DeSantis were quick to jump on it, arguing that "anxiety" isn't a qualification for suffrage.
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Whether you agree or not, it showed a version of Harris that felt more aligned with the "progressive" wing than the "California prosecutor" persona she’s often criticized for. It felt like she was testing the waters for 2028.
The 2028 Question
Bartlett didn't let her leave without asking the big one: Will she run again?
She didn't say yes. She didn't say no. She talked about her grandnieces and how they would "for sure" see a woman president in their lifetime. When asked if it would be her, she simply said, "Possibly." In political speak, that’s a "yes, I’m building a Super PAC as we speak."
And she is. Reports from early 2026 show Harris establishing Fight for the People, a Super PAC aimed at influencing the midterms. She’s not going away.
What We Learned from Steven Bartlett’s Interview
If you're looking for the TL;DR on the Diary of a CEO Kamala Harris episode, it's about the cost of silence. Harris spent years being the "loyal soldier." On Bartlett's couch, she looked like someone finally breathing after being underwater.
- The Biden Cover-up: She acknowledged the recklessness of the administration's "mantra" that Biden was fine.
- Media Evolution: Her appearance was a late-stage admission that podcasts are the new town square.
- A Shift in Tone: She was more vulnerable about her mother and her upbringing than she ever was on the campaign trail.
Actionable Insights for Your Own "CEO" Journey
You don't have to be the former VP to take away lessons from this interview. Here’s how you can apply the takeaways:
- Trust Your "Red Flags": Harris admitted she saw the signs early but stayed silent. In business or leadership, if you feel "something is off," it usually is. Don't wait for a public "debate" moment to address it.
- Go Where the People Are: If your audience is on podcasts or TikTok, don't stay on LinkedIn just because it feels "safe." You have to meet people in their own digital living rooms.
- Vulnerability is a Tool, Not a Weakness: The most shared parts of this interview weren't the policy points. They were the moments she talked about loss and failure. People follow humans, not resumes.
The Diary of a CEO Kamala Harris episode didn't just re-introduce a politician; it served as a post-mortem for a specific era of American politics. It showed us that even at the highest levels of power, the biggest regrets usually come from the things we didn't say and the risks we didn't take.
If you're interested in how this interview is shaping the 2026 midterm landscape, keep an eye on her new Super PAC's moves in swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan. The road to 2028 is already being paved, and it started in a podcast studio in London.
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Next Steps for You:
Check out the full two-hour interview on YouTube to see the body language for yourself—it tells a much deeper story than the transcript ever could. Pay close attention to the section around the 45-minute mark where she discusses the night she realized the election was lost; it's a masterclass in emotional regulation under extreme pressure.