Previous Vice President Kamala Harris, who careened to defeat in the 2024 Presidential election, has found her voice again and this time she targets President Donald Trump and Tesla Chief, Elon Musk. It’s interesting to note that her moment of resurgence coincides with ongoing national demonstrations against these personalities. Despite failing miserably to secure enough votes to take the reins of the White House, she resorts to making public statements, perhaps trying to score some sympathy points.
Protests have been flaring up across the nation, aimed at both the President and Musk, who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). A defeated and quiet Harris has unexpectedly decided to add more fuel to the fire. One does have to question whether she is using this moment to strategically spotlight herself again, while directing criticism at the so-called ‘unelected billionaires’ in charge.
Just a day prior, we heard Harris utter: ‘Today in every state across our nation, Americans are standing up to the administration as they implement Project 2025 at full force. Thank you for using your voices and the power of protest to stand for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; for the Department of Education and programs like Head Start; for clean air and water; for the right to make decisions about your own body without government interference.’ A compelling narrative indeed, though one might argue she conveniently sidesteps the decision she made for Americans when she lost the election.
This wave of discontent, rallied by protestors across all 50 states, has swept over the current Republican administration. The issues they choose to highlight range from the recent workforce reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immigration regulations affecting US university students. While any form of constructive criticism is welcome, one has to wonder why these sentiments did not translate to the ballot box when it really mattered.
The DOGE, under the stewardship of Musk, is being accused of chopping down DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs, axing of mass federal workers, and devaluing climate change initiatives. While it’s essential to hold the administration accountable, it appears as though there’s a concentrated effort to portray all decisions in a negative light, without taking the broader picture into consideration.
The criticisms don’t stop there, as Trump, on the receiving end of most of the ire, is berated for introducing tariffs – a 10 percent levy added to all imported goods in America. However, the protestors seem to conveniently ignore the economic potentialities these tariffs could unleash and the international leverage they bring to the country.
Seizing the moment was Congressman Maxwell Frost who regrettably chose to echo Harris’ biased words during an appearance at a protest. He railed against the ‘billionaire takeover of our government’, ambitiously adding ‘When you steal from the people, expect the people to rise up. At the ballot box and in the streets.’ While his rhetoric might energize the crowd, it is worth noting the logical leap to classify government actions as theft from the people.
Concerns over the state of the country were voiced by former US President Barack Obama, who took a moment this week to express his displeasure. He cast a shadow over Trump’s announced ‘Liberation Day’, deeming it as a move potentially detrimental to America. Rather than providing a substantial critique, Obama opted to merely speculate on the response had he implemented such a measure, claiming it ‘unimaginable’.
In an attempt to boost his credibility, Obama imagines, ‘What if I had done any of this?’, adding ‘It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me, or a whole bunch of my predecessors.’ Although such hypothetical scenarios are hardly a basis for genuine critique, they appear to resonate with those who choose to ignore the positive strides made by the current administration.