Kamala tells Stephen Colbert she wants to be an outsider to a ‘broken’ political system

In their conversation, she spoke about having been a political insider, tackling the problems she saw from within the system. Now, she said, she wants to be on the outside and to work from without.

Colbert asked her why she decided not to run for governor of her home state of California. "You said you're gonna sit this one out," he asked. "Why are you sitting this out? Are you saving yourself for a different office that might be—"

At that people cheered, knowing he meant the office of the presidency, which she lost roundly to Donald Trump in November 2024. "No, no," she assured them.

Colbert, referencing the crowd, said, "Obviously people project onto their hopes and dreams."

"I understand," she said, "and honestly it's more, perhaps more basic than that. I am, listen, I am a devout public servant. I have spent my entire career in service of the people, and I thought a lot about running for governor. I love my state. I love California. I've served as, just elected District Attorney, Attorney General and Senator, but to be very candid with you:

"You know, when I was young in my career, I had to defend my decision to become a prosecutor with my family. And one of the points that I made is, 'why is it then, when we think we want to improve the system or change it, that we're always on the outside, on bended knee or trying to break down the door, shouldn't we also be inside the system?'

"And that has been my career, and recently I made the decision that I just, for now, I don't want to go back in the system. I think it's broken. I think there's so much—I mean, there are so many good people who are public servants, who do such good work, teachers and firefighters and police officers and nurses and scientists, scientists!

"And so it's not about them, but you know, I believe, and I always believed, that as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles, and I think right now that they're not as strong as they need to be, and I just don't want to, for now, I don't want to go back in the system. I want to, I want to travel the country. I want to listen to people. I want to talk with people, and I don't want it to be transactional and where I'm asking them for their vote," Harris said.

"Oh, just to go back to what you just said," Colbert said later, "is that I have to say, as someone who is very qualified for the presidency, a Senator, Attorney General of California, Vice President of the United States, and then, and then, a very hopeful and dynamic presidential candidate for the 107 days that you had to run, to hear you say that it's broken, to hear you say that our systems aren't strong enough, is harrowing."

"Well, but it's also evident, isn't it?" Harris said.

"No, it is," Colbert said.

"And it is," Harris said.

"And it is harrowing," he said again.

"And it is, I mean, and it is," she said.

"And there's almost no first word bad enough," Colbert said.

"But it doesn't mean we give up," Harris said. "But it doesn't mean we give up. That's not my point."

"Okay, because that's what I'm hearing," he said. "Like you don't want to be part of the fight anymore."

"No, no, absolutely not," Harris said.

Trump was asked about Harris, her book, and her future in politics. Trump said, "She can't speak. She can't talk. She can't do an interview... She wasn't a skilled person."

Colbert and The Late Show, which he has anchored since the departure of David Letterman, who started the show in 1993, were recently canceled by CBS. The show will run through May 2026.

Democrats have claimed that canceling his show, on a network that's been losing $40 million per year, is a threat to democracy. They believe that his show is essential viewing, despite it being biased to the left. Protests outside the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the New York-based show is filmed, have seen tens of people marching around with signs in support of Colbert.