In one of her final public acts as Vice President – Kamala Harris made her mark. Literally.

In a tradition that dates back to the 1940s but has been carried out in earnest since the Ford administration, Harris affixed her signature to the inside of the desk in the vice president’s ceremonial desk.

“I have actually, I think with the exception of [Presidents] Truman and Eisenhower, met every person who assigned this desk, every vice president – former vice president,” said Harris eyeing the signatures already in the drawer. “In fact, I talked to [Walter] Mondale, Vice President Mondale, just days before he passed.”

The historic nature of the moment was not lost on Harris, who is the first woman to sign the desk.

“Although many of us might have disagreed – me and some of the previous vice presidents –  on certain policy matters, I think we all probably have shared a very common experience. That is a through line, as evidenced by the fact that we have this tradition of signing this desk.”

She signed the desk with a sharpie as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff looked on proudly, snapping photos on his phone over her shoulder.

While the moment was a culmination of her last four years in office, she used the moment to applaud her staff, both past and present, who crowded the room to watch the time-honored tradition. 

“I am fully aware that I am the public face of a lot of our work, and so I have the benefit of running into people all over our country who thank me. And I will tell you, I am fully aware that when they are thanking me, they are thanking our team for the extraordinary commitment that you each have and as a team have to lifting up the American people, lifting up their condition, lifting up their hopes and dreams and understanding through it all, the nobility of public service,” Harris said. 

“Everyone here has so much to be proud of and our work is not done,” continued Harris. “As you all know me because we have spent long hours, long days and months and years together, it is not my nature to go quietly into the night, so don't worry about that,” she said with a laugh. 

As for what is next, as Harris weighs her political future, she remained coy. She said she will be working through Monday, when the Trump administration will be sworn in, and then she will let us know what comes next. Harris has some time before she will have to make a decision whether or not to run for governor of California in 2026 or if she will hold out for another White House run.