Biden repeatedly told Harris there could be 'no daylight' between them on policies: Report

"He would say publicly that Harris should do what she must to win. But privately, including in conversations with her, he repeated an admonition: let there be no daylight between us," the authors wrote.

"But the day of the debate Biden called to give Harris an unusual kind of pep talk - and another reminder about the loyalty he demanded. No longer able to defend his own record, he expected Harris to protect his legacy," they wrote. "Whether she won or lost the election, he thought, she would only harm him by publicly distancing herself from him - especially during a debate that would be watched by millions of Americans. To the extent that she wanted to forge her own path, Biden had no interest in giving her room to do so."

During the phone call, according to the authors, Biden told Harris, "No daylight, kid."

Harris was criticized throughout her campaign for not breaking with the president on more issues after she took his spot at the top of the Democratic ticket. 

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sean Clegg, a Harris advisor at the time, reportedly said during media prep for the interview, according to the book excerpt. "Let's not do this. Let's not go down memory lane."

"That was the last time he was invited to media prep. Cutter, another Harris confidant later joked, cut him out," the authors wrote.

Representatives for Harris and Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?," "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin asked the former vice president.

Harris responded at the time, "There is not a thing that comes to mind."