Former Vice President and failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris posted a gloomy Fourth of July message on Friday that has led to widespread criticism. Instead of enjoying the holiday and praising the nation’s founding, she began her post, “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 added, “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.”
Harris’s downtrodden tone follows several other low-spirited public moments since November. In one notable case, Democrats released an emotional clip of Harris addressing her supporters in late November in which she appeared to be slurring her words.
Harris’s lackluster Independence Day post comes amid her uncertain political future. Harris has maintained speculation about running either in the 2026 California governor race or the 2028 presidential election, and she said in March that she plans to confirm her decision by the end of the summer. Some preliminary polling has shown support among California Democrats for a Harris gubernatorial bid.
While her promise to “continue to fight” suggests she still wants to pursue her political ambitions, Harris’s poll numbers for a 2028 presidential bid have declined precipitously, even among her own party. A recent poll on 2028 presidential primaries reported that Harris only had 13 percent support among Democrats, behind former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 16 percent support.
Harris’s Fourth of July post also featured a picture from last year’s celebrations at the White House that appeared to have intentionally cropped out former President Joe Biden and Jill Biden. Many have interpreted Harris’s removal of the Biden family as a “very symbolic” attempt to distance herself from the previous administration. According to one of Harris’s advisers, the former vice president blames Biden for her 2024 presidential election loss and believes she would have won if he had dropped out of the race sooner.
Harris is not alone in her lack of zeal for Independence Day celebrations this year. This year’s Gallup poll on American patriotism showed a record low among Democrats. While Republicans have typically registered above 90 percent of responses saying they were “extremely or very proud” to be an American, this year only 36 percent of Democrats said the same. In contrast, 87 percent were patriotic in 2001, and it only fell below 75 percent once before 2016.
While Harris failed to enthusiastically celebrate America’s founding this year, her malaise simply reflects the sentiments of the majority of those in her party.
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