Critics slam Kamala Harris for gloomy July 4 post — with photo that crops out Biden
'This Fourth of July, I am taking a moment to reflect. Things are hard right now. They are probably going to get worse before they get better,' Harris posted Friday on X.
'But I love our country — and when you love something, you fight for it. Together, we will continue to fight for the ideals of our nation.'
5 'Kamala cropping Joe out is very symbolic,' noted Link Lauren, a former senior adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign.
Kamala Harris, /X
X users were quick to point out that the image Harris promoted — which showed her and first gentleman Doug Emhoff enjoying an Independence Day fireworks display in July 2024 — was conveniently framed to exclude Biden and first lady Jill.
'Kamala cropping Joe out is very symbolic,' noted Link Lauren, a former senior adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign, publishing another shot from the White House balcony that shows the first couple just feet away.
'[W]hose elbow is that at the right[?]' jeered another X user.
5 Critics piled on former Vice President Kamala Harris for issuing a gloomy statement on the Fourth of July — while sharing a picture of last year's festivities that also cropped out her onetime running-mate Joe Biden.
Getty Images
Others took issue with the ominous tone of her holiday statement.
'Feeling grateful we didn't end up with a President who posts 'things are gonna get worse' on the 4th of July,' added Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kiersten Pels.
'Among other reasons, this is why you're not President,' a second netizen chimed in, while a third encouraged her to 'just enjoy the day.'
5 'America is unburdened by what has been,' a fourth needled, paraphrasing a favorite catchphrase of the VP.
AP
'America is unburdened by what has been,' a fourth needled, paraphrasing a favorite catchphrase of the VP.
'Kamala sets a new record for the worst 4th of July message ever,' claimed 710 WOR radio host Mark Simone.
Still, others pointed to her use of the word 'fight' as telling of her future political ambitions.
'[S]he's definitely running in 2028,' one X user mused.
'Don't stop fighting, Kamala,' mocked Article III Project founder and Trump ally Mike Davis. 'And please run again in 2028.'
The California Democrat has made few public appearances since her resounding loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 election, with all seven swing states going to the Republican after Biden bowed out of the race months prior.
In April, Harris delivered an odd keynote address that attacked the Trump administration's economic and immigration policies — without directly invoking the 47th president's name — during a 20th anniversary gala in San Francisco for Emerge, a Democratic group helping women run for office.
5 The California Democrat has made few public appearances since her resounding loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 election, with all seven swing states going to the Republican after Biden bowed out of the race months prior.
Getty Images
Recent public polling also shows that her favorability and chances at clinching the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination are declining.
An Emerson College poll last month found just 13% would back Harris in the primary, whereas 16% would favor former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out of the Democratic contest with just 15 delegates before Super Tuesday in 2020.
When the same pollster surveyed Dems in November, at least 37% still stood by Harris.
5 Harris insiders told Politico the former vice president and California Democratic senator will make a decision about her political future by the end of this summer.
AFP via Getty Images
Other surveys have ranked her much higher, with a Morning Consult poll in March showing 36% support from Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters in the 2028 primary.
The following month, the same percentage of respondents seen as 'policy influencers' said they weren't that excited about her pursuing a gubernatorial bid in California next year either, according to a survey by Politico and UC Berkeley's Citrin Center.
Harris insiders told Politico the former vice president and California Democratic senator will make a decision about her political future by the end of this summer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Greene to introduce ‘weather modification' bill
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Saturday she plans to introduce a bill aimed at tackling 'weather modification.' 'I am introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity. It will be a felony offense,' she wrote in a Saturday post on X. 'I have been researching weather modification and working with the legislative counsel for months writing this bill,' Greene added. The Georgia lawmaker said the legislation would resemble Florida's Senate Bill 56, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in late June. The text makes it illegal for individuals to practice geoengineering and weather modification by imposing a $100,000 fine and a five-year prison sentence. The punishment would apply to cloud seeding, an 80-year-old technology that adds tiny particles—usually silver iodide crystals—to clouds to trigger rain or snow, as defined by the Government Accountability Office. Some states have practiced the measure, but it's rarely been undertaken by federal jurisdictions. 'We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification and geoengineering,' Greene said of the forthcoming bill. However, lawmakers in the Sunshine State said cloud seeding is a safe practice that has been undermined by conspiracy theories about weather alteration, as contrails, condensation trails left in the air by planes, are sometimes confused as chemtrails. '[They are] kind of two different things, and I think people have got them mixed up, because they think that they've heard that this chemtrail conspiracy theory is about geoengineering and weather modification,' Mick West, a science writer and fellow for the Committee of Skeptical Inquiry, told 12News. 'Then, they discover that there's this thing called cloud seeding, which actually is weather modification. And then they kind of put two and two together and make 17.' Greene made headlines last year when she suggested Democrats were able to 'control the weather' in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, prompting then-President Biden to condemn what he called 'irresponsible' and 'beyond ridiculous' falsehoods. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) poked fun at Greene's bill in a post online. 'I'm introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release or dispersion of stupidity into Congress,' he wrote in a Saturday post, quoting Greene's original announcement. But one of her Republican colleagues has already signaled he'll back her efforts. 'Let's roll Chairlady!' Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) wrote online. Greene's office did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment on the bill and potential federal penalties outlined in the text.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Elon Musk announces new 'America' party after slamming Trump's megabill
Elon Musk announced the formation of a new political party amid his strident criticism of President Donald Trump's signature legislation. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy," Musk wrote on his social media platform X on July 5. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." The move follows his falling-out with former close ally President Donald Trump over spending levels in the president's mega-bill and concerns about it increasing the federal debt. Musk strongly criticized the bill, attempted to rally opposition to it among Republicans in Congress, and called for a new political party in response. Trump signed the bill into law on July 4. Musk − the world's richest person, worth $405 billion according to Forbes − spent nearly $290 billion to help Trump and other Republicans get elected. In the opening months of Trump's presidency, Musk led the effort to slash federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency. The two have feuded in recent weeks, though, as Musk has strongly criticized Trump's signature bill, which includes tax cuts, increased spending on immigration enforcement and the military and deep spending cuts in Medicaid. The legislation - dubbed by Trump the "big beautiful bill" - adds $3.4 trillion to the national debt over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and includes a $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. Musk has railed against the legislation's impact on the debt and threatened to boost primary challengers against those who supported the bill, which included all but two Republicans in the House and three in the Senate. "Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!" Musk wrote before Trump signed the legislation. "And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth." Musk polled the idea of a new political party July 4 on his social media platform X. "Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!" Musk wrote, before citing the poll results − which were 2-1 in favor − on July 5. "You want a new political party and you shall have it!" He declared. The new party might be active in a limited number of races, Musk suggested. "One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts," Musk wrote. "Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people." Musk's new round of criticism comes after he had taken steps to repair his strained relationship with the president ‒ including personally apologizing for insults he made during his combative exit from the Trump administration last month Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Musk's companies receive from the federal government. However, in May, after spending millions to unsuccessfully influence a Wisconsin state Supreme Court race the previous month,Musk suggested he would cease his political spending as he shifts his attention back to his companies Tesla and SpaceX. Contributing: Reuters, Joey Garrison
CNBC
2 hours ago
- CNBC
Rep. Mark Green resigns from Congress, leaving Speaker Johnson with an even narrower Republican majority in the House
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., announced his official resignation from Congress on Friday, a move that was expected but one that could, at least for now, shrink Republicans' already narrow majority in the House. "To my constituents across Tennessee's 7th District—thank you. The trust you put in me is humbling. I will look back fondly on my years of serving as your voice in Washington," Green wrote in a post on X. With his resignation, Republicans are down to a 219-212 majority in the House, at least until his seat in the solidly red district is filled. His resignation will be effective July 20, Fox News reports from a letter Green sent to House Republican leadership. Green's resignation is a blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson's already narrow majority in the lower chamber, a fact that was on stark display this week as he was trying to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." Johnson struggled to coalesce his conference around the megabill, and the narrow majority gave him little wiggle room for defections. With Green's resignation, Johnson's could face an even more challenging road ahead. Green, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, said he was returning to the private sector to start his own business, but did not provide details about the business. "While I cannot give the details here, I will be doing something specifically designed to help America compete against the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], but this time in business," Green said in a video on X. Green was elected to serve in Congress in 2018, succeeding Sen. Marsha Blackburn. While his retirement has been expected — he said in June that he was stepping away from his role — it comes after Congress has experienced turnover among lawmakers in recent months, such as Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who left his post to serve in the Trump administration, before he stepped down from that role. Another Republican, Rep. Don Bacon, a centrist, also recently announced his retirement from Congress. Bacon's retirement creates an opportunity for Democrats to win the House seat representing Bacon's Omaha, Nebraska, district.
