Well, Kamala Harris just hopped back into the authoritarian chat. The former Vice President described Donald Trump as a “tyrant” during a sit down on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. Harris, currently promoting her new book 107 Days, compared Trump’s leadership style to that of communist dictators and accused him of abusing federal power to silence critics.
Hmm. If it walks like a duck …
“Right now, we are dealing with— as I called him at my speech on the Ellipse— a tyrant,” Harris said. “We used to compare the strength of our democracy to communist dictators. That’s what we’re dealing with right now in Donald Trump. These titans of industry are not speaking up, maybe because they want a merger approved, maybe they want to avoid an investigation, or maybe they just want to please him.”
The White House fired back almost immediately. From its official rapid response account, officials labeled Harris “SICK,” accusing her of inciting violence by attacking a “duly elected President of the United States who escaped two assassination attempts.” Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair added fuel with his own post, saying, “I cannot overstate the pleasure it brings every day to walk into the office this woman will never occupy.”
During the extended interview, Harris doubled down, criticizing corporate leaders for remaining silent while claiming their silence undermines democracy itself. “They’re not going to lose their yacht or their house in the Hamptons,” she said. “At some point, they have to stand up as guardrails against a tyrant who is using the federal government to execute his whims because of a fragile ego.”
Harris also addressed the MAGA movement, saying it is part of a long term strategy that goes beyond Trump. She pointed to Project 2025 as evidence of a decades long plan aimed at dismantling institutions like the Department of Education, deregulating industries, and reshaping the courts. “This didn’t just happen overnight,” she warned. “We have to pay attention to an agenda that will continue even after Trump is no longer in office.”
The exchange has reignited debate over free speech, political accountability, and the future of democratic institutions, with Harris positioning herself as one of the most vocal critics of Trump and the broader MAGA vision.