As the political heat intensifies, a shocking new book has resurfaced casting a harsh light on Vice President Kamala Harris at a time when the Democrat Party’s unity is crucial. “The Truce: Progressives, Centrists, and the Future of the Democratic Party,” written by journalists Hunter Walker and Luppe B. Luppen, dives deep into the internal conflicts that have roiled the Democrats for years, now focusing its critical eye on Harris.

Released quietly in January, the book initially didn’t make waves beyond Washington insiders. But as the 2024 presidential race heats up, with Harris facing a formidable challenge from former President Donald Trump, “The Truce” has suddenly gained a new lease on life. The timing couldn’t be worse for Harris, who is portrayed in the book as overly dependent on her personal charm and lacking a clear political vision.

Walker and Luppen’s account detailed a series of interviews with former aides and close associates of Harris, who paint a troubling picture of her leadership style. According to the book, Harris has struggled to articulate a consistent agenda, often relying on her personality to navigate political waters—a strategy that sources claim has left her staff directionless and her policy initiatives vague.

A former senior staff member of her 2020 campaign team expressed strong reservations about her suitability for the presidency. “It was rotten from the start,” the aide remarked. “A lot of us, at least folks that I was friends with on the campaign, all realized that: ‘Yeah, this person should not be president of the United States,’” they disclosed to the authors.

“The Truce” also highlighted a broader war within the Democrat Party, one that predated Harris’s rise but has become more pronounced under her potential presidency. The struggle between the party’s progressive wing and its centrist establishment only intensified, with each side vying to steer the party’s future direction. This infighting, the authors argue, could jeopardize the Democrats’ ability to present a united front against Trump.

The campaign team experienced significant dysfunction, largely due to the strained relationship between Maya Harris, the campaign chair and sister of Harris, and Juan Rodriguez of Bearstars Strategies, who was the campaign manager.

When Harris exited the primary race in December 2019, she attributed her decision primarily to a shortage of funds. However, the authors noted that issues with money management were only a part of an overarching “toxic climate” within the campaign.

“It was the most awkward day of my life,” a senior staffer recounted to the authors. “People were literally having a thirty-minute audit meeting with Juan about how the campaign was going and then they were walking across the hall into the same meeting with Maya … I remember Juan popping into my office to find out how the meeting with Maya went.”

In November 2019, Kelly Mehlenbacher, the state operations manager for the campaign, stepped down, expressing her dissatisfaction in a harsh resignation letter that subsequently made its way to The New York Times. “This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat its staff so poorly,” Mehlenbacher stated in the letter. She further criticized the campaign’s internal culture: “… because we have refused to confront our mistakes, foster an environment of critical thinking and honest feedback, or trust the expertise of talented staff, we find ourselves making the same unforced errors over and over.”

Moreover, the book speculates on the future leadership of the party post-Biden and Sanders, noting that the next generation of leaders will inherit a party at a crossroads. Economic and social justice issues are competing for primacy, with no clear resolution in sight, challenging the party’s ability to craft a coherent agenda that appeals to a broad swath of American voters.

For Harris, the book’s damning portrayal could undermine her credibility and leadership at a time when the Democrat base is looking for strength and unity. Her ability to counter Trump’s relentless campaigning and his stronghold on the Republican base may very well depend on her capacity to refute the criticisms laid out in the book and rally her party behind her.