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(NEW YORK) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris has written in her forthcoming memoir that she considered former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as the top choice to be her running mate in her 2024 presidential campaign, according to excerpts of the book obtained by The Atlantic.

But, she wrote, she decided that it would be too risky to have a gay man alongside her as a Black woman on the ballot, given how voters might react, according to the excerpts in The Atlantic.

“We were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk. And I think Pete also knew that — to our mutual sadness,” Harris wrote in her memoir, “107 Days,” according to The Atlantic.

ABC News has not independently reviewed the excerpts reported by The Atlantic.

Buttigieg’s team declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

Buttigieg was among the contenders Harris considered as a vice presidential pick for her truncated presidential run, among other rising stars in the Democratic Party such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. In the end, Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

A source close to the selection process told ABC News at the time that Harris liked Walz’s executive experience and a his “strong record of accomplishment for middle class families that models what we want to do nationally.” Harris told supporters in early August 2024 that Walz fit the criteria she sought in a running mate, including that he was “a fighter for the middle class” and a unifying leader.

Harris and Buttigieg did not discuss Harris’ reasoning for the decision, according to a person familiar with their discussions.

In the excerpts reported on by The Atlantic, Harris said that she considered Buttigieg as her top pick because, she wrote, Buttigieg “is a sincere public servant with the rare talent of being able to frame liberal arguments in a way that makes it possible for conservatives to hear them.”

Harris has said that her book, which will be released Tuesday, is a “behind-the-scenes look at my experience leading the shortest presidential campaign in modern history,” which she launched after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July 2024.

In an excerpt published last week in The Atlantic, Harris wrote that Democrats made a mistake and it was “recklessness” to allow Biden to make the decision alone on running for reelection, saying the choice should not have been “left to an individual’s ego.”

ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie, and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said he would seek to designate antifa as a “major terrorist organization,” saying that the far-left-wing group was “sick” and “dangerous.”

The president in a social media post said he would also “strongly recommend” that whoever funds the actions of antifa groups should be investigated.

“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” Trump said.

He added, “I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

It was not immediately clear how such a designation would be made for antifa, which is an umbrella description for far-left-leaning militant groups opposing fascists and neo-Nazis. Antifa does not have a publicly known centralized structure or leadership. The U.S. does not maintain a public list of domestic terrorist groups, although the State Department does maintain a list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

Nor was it immediately clear how federal law enforcement authorities might make use of such a designation.

The Congressional Research Service, which collects and analyzes policy details for Congress, said in a 2023 report that while federal law enforcement plays a “significant role” in combating domestic terrorism, there exists a grey area between combating potential violence associated with domestic terrorism and publicly identifying those with extreme beliefs.

Holding extreme beliefs is not, in itself, criminal in the United States, since those beliefs are protected under the First Amendment, the report said.

“Further, the U.S. government does not provide a precise, comprehensive, and public explanation of any particular groups it might consider to be domestic terrorist organizations,” that report said. “Listing groups in this way may infringe on First Amendment-protected free speech—or the act of belonging to an ideological group, which in and of itself is not a crime in the United States.”

Trump’s comments on social media on Wednesday followed others he and members of his administration have made about antifa and left-leaning groups in the wake of the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump on Monday said during an Oval Office event that he thinks Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect charged in Kirk’s killing, may have been “radicalized” toward the “left” in a short period of time through his use of the internet.

“That’s my opinion, I think he was radicalized online based on what they’re saying,” Trump said.

“That’s just by watching the same things that you’re watching and hearing it looks like he became radicalized over the internet,” Trump said, then suggesting that his parents, who are allegedly Republican-aligned, were “wonderful.”

“Looks like he was radicalized over the internet, and it’s radicalized on the left, he’s a left. A lot of problems with the left, and they get protected, and they shouldn’t be protected,” Trump added.

He later added on Monday that he would “100%” consider designating antifa as a domestic terror organization.

It was not clear whether Robinson was influenced by or affiliated with antifa.

Deputy Chief of Staff Steven Miller on Monday said the White House would be targeting nongovernmental organizations that they said were fomenting violence.

“What you’re referring to is there are these nonprofit entities that organize, as the president mentioned, attacks on ICE officers, attacks on Border Patrol agents, organized doxing campaigns, which are a violation of federal law,” Miller said.

He added, “So there’s this whole network of organizations. And I think the key point the president’s been making is somebody is paying for all of this. This is not happening for free. And so under the president’s direction, the attorney general is going to find out who is paying for it, and they will not be criminally liable for paying for violence.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Washington, D.C.’s top elected leaders on Thursday warned that President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge has undermined public trust and threatened the city’s autonomy, even as they pressed Congress to help the District rebuild its police force and fill critical judicial vacancies.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb told the House Oversight Committee that while crime rates have fallen to 30-year lows, the city still needs long-term federal support, not armed National Guard patrols. All three leaders urged Congress to fund new facilities, confirm judges, and back efforts to restore the Metropolitan Police Department’s ranks to nearly 4,000 officers.

Both Mendelson and Schwalb criticized the effectiveness and legality of the federal surge.

“As the nation’s capital, public safety in the District has always required a strong working partnership with federal law enforcement, regardless of who is in the White House,” Schwalb said. “Declarations of emergency and unilateral federal actions, taken without coordination or advance warning, do not promote long-term public safety.”

“Sending masked agents in unmarked cars to pick people up off the streets; flooding our neighborhoods with armed national guardsmen untrained in local policing; attempting a federal takeover of our police force — none of these are durable, lasting solutions for driving down crime,” the D.C. attorney general added. “In fact, this threatens to destroy critical trust between local communities and police, which is essential to effective, efficient policing and prosecution.”

Mendelson called the emergency declaration “a manufactured crime crisis to justify an intrusion on the District’s autonomy.”

At a time when violent crime is at the lowest rate we’ve seen in 30 years, there is no federal emergency that the District needs the president to address,” he said, adding that National Guard troops lack law-enforcement training and have instead been “picking up trash and doing landscaping.”

Schwalb also pushed back against claims that juveniles offenders are not being prosecuted. He said his office brought charges in 84% of all violent youth cases last year, which included more than 90% of homicides, 87% of carjackings and 86% of gun cases.

All three officials urged Congress to help address longstanding vacancies on the D.C. courts and to fund a new psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth.

Marking the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S., Bowser said, “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the nation’s capital to be the safest and most beautiful it’s been at any point in its history, not just for our residents, but for the millions of Americans who will come to Washington, D.C., to celebrate our country’s heritage.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(LONDON) — President Donald Trump is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the latter’s official country residence on Thursday, the second day of a historic second state visit to the U.K., which saw Trump hosted by the royal family at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

The two leaders held a bilateral meeting at Chequers, the prime minister’s estate in Buckinghamshire north of London.

They also participated in a reception with business leaders, where they announced a new science and technology partnership between the two nations in order to bolster technological innovation in both countries.

“We’re taking the next logical step with a historic agreement on science and technology partnerships, and this will create new government, academic and private sector cooperation in areas such as AI, which is taking over the world,” Trump said.

Starmer said the deal involves investments from multiple science and technology companies, totaling $204 billion across the Atlantic, creating 15,000 jobs in the next decade. He added that the deal includes investments from American companies such as Microsoft, Citigroup, Boeing, Amazon and Blackstone, and British companies such as BP, GSK, Rolls Royce and AstraZeneca.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed Windsor Castle earlier Thursday with a farewell ceremony involving King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

They were then greeted by Starmer and his wife, Victoria, at Chequers with bagpipes blaring in the background.

Asked by ABC News how his night at the castle was, Trump replied, “It was great, thank you.”

Trump and Starmer will hold a press conference at 2:20 p.m. local time — 9:20 a.m. ET. Multiple pressing global issues may be on the agenda. Among them are Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s growing threat to NATO’s eastern flank and the war in Gaza, where Israel’s offensive on Gaza City is expanding as the two leaders meet.

Trump’s visit comes after Starmer and other European leaders traveled to the White House to meet with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just after Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since that meeting, during which allies expressed optimism of a path forward on security guarantees, no progress has materialized.

Trump and the first lady are expected to leave London at just after 5 p.m. local time. They are expected to arrive back at the White House by 8:10 p.m. ET.

On Wednesday, Trump was greeted at Windsor Castle by the royal family and an elaborate military reception. Meanwhile, a crowd of thousands gathered in central London to protest Trump on Wednesday. Many of the protesters held anti-Trump signs and Palestinian flags.

During a tour of Windsor Castle, the Trumps laid a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II during a service at the castle’s chapel, then spoke with the children before taking a tour of the chapel.

Later, the Trumps attended a state banquet, with other guests including Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, Rupert Murdoch, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

During his remarks at the state banquet, King Charles focused on the special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., saying that “our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear.”

“The ocean may still divide us, but in so many ways we are now the closest of kin,” he said.

At the end of his remarks, Charles proposed a toast to Trump and the first lady.

Trump then spoke, thanking Charles and saying he had worked to preserve his nation’s history, uplifted the poor and supported soldiers.

Trump also mentioned the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying it was nice to see them, saying that Kate was “healthy” and “beautiful.”

The president mentioned a few of the United Kingdom’s most significant historical accomplishments and said the U.K. laid the groundwork for law and liberty. Trump said the bond between America and the United Kingdom is irreplaceable.

“Together, we must defend the exceptional heritage that makes us who we are, and we must continue to stand for the values and the people of the English-speaking world, and we do indeed stand for that,” Trump said.

Trump praised Charles as a “great gentleman and a great king” as he departed Windsor Castle.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart, Zoe Magee, Isabella Murray, Lalee Ibssa, Joseph Simonetti and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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