Ken Salazar, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico under President Joe Biden, contemplated a presidential run against Biden in 2024. This information comes from a book excerpt obtained by Politico. Salazar reportedly questioned, “I should run for president,” following what he perceived as Biden’s poor performance in a July 2024 debate.
Salazar had urged the administration to appoint a border czar and early on advised calling the U.S. border situation a crisis. According to Salazar, there was a political failure to grasp the seriousness of the border crisis and its potential impact on the Democrats’ performance in the 2024 election.
President Joe Biden was received by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, along with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Salazar, at Felipe Angeles International Airport in January 2023. Salazar mentioned that within the administration, the term “crisis” was widely used, despite the reluctance of the White House to publicly label it as such.
Salazar advised then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to adopt the term “crisis.” However, Mayorkas reportedly responded that he was already dealing with significant challenges and faced possible impeachment over border issues. Although Salazar assembled a team and drafted a platform for his potential presidential run, he never formally declared his candidacy.
Politico notes that Salazar intended to declare his candidacy if Biden stepped down, though the Democratic Party opted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Salazar referred to this decision as a mistake and criticized Harris’s handling of the border situation. Despite being dubbed the “border czar,” Harris’s actions were seen as ineffective in addressing migration.
Salazar expressed disappointment at Harris’s inability to address the border crisis effectively, even after being positioned near the President for almost four years. Despite this, Salazar acknowledged Biden’s decision to close the border effectively in 2024, although he recognized it happened too late to impact voter perceptions.
Salazar’s book “Borderlands: My Fight For An Inclusive America” discusses his recommendations to future Democratic presidential candidates, emphasizing the need to fix the current U.S. immigration system. Politico reports that Salazar has already shared his “borderlands platform” with Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego and plans to meet with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Fox News Digital reached out to Salazar, Pritzker, Gallego, and Kelly for their comments on these developments.