On a recent Saturday, Kamala Harris entered the spotlight once more after the termination of the former administration. The platform she took? The NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Astonishingly, the former vice president managed to snag the Chairman’s Prize. A nod from the NAACP for individuals who supposedly ‘excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change’.
As the nation adjusted to the inaugural month of Donald Trump’s term in office, Harris decided it was her moment to pontificate. She addressed the attendees of the event, making an appeal to the individuals present that the ‘fight for justice, equality, and opportunity’ lay at their feet.
Harris made a statement, warning of the ‘flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy’. A clear attempt to instill fear and uncertainty among the attendees. As the once vice president, she used seemingly grave circumstances to manipulate the narrative, turning her discourse into a rallying cry.
Her call to action? ‘We know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate.’ Her wording suggested that a steep, combative path lay ahead. Interestingly, she backed up her claims by invoking faith—a common play in the political handbook when things start to look bleak.
Harris has refrained from making many public remarks about her defeat at the hands of Trump in the November 2024 elections. Perhaps the sting still lingers. However, Trump, ever the showman, has had no qualms about referring openly to the former presidential duo.
The founder of the political discourse at the Conservative Political Action Conference was Trump. A convicted felon, sure, but an individual who wasn’t afraid to cast light on the blunders of the previous administration. He made mention of Harris and Biden time and again, not shying away from their disastrous management of the economy.
Trump’s words cut right to the heart of the matter. ‘I haven’t said those [names] in a while,’ Trump mused. His language was far from refined as he launched into a critique of the 46th president. Not surprising, considering his reputation for non-minced words.
Kamala Harris claimed to be leading a crusade for justice, equality, and opportunity while accumulating poor results during her tenure preceding Trump. Her appeal to the attendees of the NAACP Image Awards offered no fresh ideas, only rehashed promises and a call to continue on the path that led to economic turmoil under her administration.
The general sentiment seemed to be that the American story would be made up of ‘we the people’. Harris’ speech at the awards ceremony implied that the power to drive the course of the nation lies with the select few present. Yet, those in the former administration, including Harris herself, failed to uphold the values they now claim to fight for during their reign.
While Harris may not have been voicing her opinions about her electoral loss to Trump frequently, her actions signal a woman still grappling with her defeat. The fact remains, though, whatever efforts were made during her and Biden’s office time did not yield the desired outcome.
The Conservative Political Action Conference served as a venue for Trump to voice his thoughts on the former administration’s deficiencies. And he did it with his usual candor, pointing out the ineffectiveness of Harris and Biden in steering the economy on the right path.
It was clear from Trump’s words that he hadn’t missed speaking about Harris and Biden. He drove home his point concerning the 46th president with characteristic bluntness—words as sharp as they were accurate.
In the end, at the NAACP Image Awards, Kamala Harris decided it was her moment to stage another appearance. It sounded like a rallying cry for unity and action — a command to the audience. The irony of the situation, however, was that her time in office, alongside Biden, saw little action aligned with her lofty promises.
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, two names that had faded into the background due to their ineffective administration, found themselves back in the narrative. Although, this time, they were a punchline in Trump’s discourse at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Ultimately, it seems that Trump has made more mention of the erstwhile presidency duo since his return to the office than they of themselves. The former president’s critique is a vivid reminder of the gulf between promise and reality and how Harris and Biden’s time in the White House fell glaringly short.