OPINION:
On her never-ending book tour this week, former Vice President Kamala Harris shouted to the audience, “Release the files!” in reference to the infamous Epstein files and what President Trump should do with them.
Never mind that she was vice president for four years and never mentioned Jeffrey Epstein’s name. Democrats during the Biden administration were too busy expanding the size of the federal government and lining their own pockets to give any attention to Epstein’s victims or demand that the Biden White House release the files.
Yet Ms. Harris has her eyes on a 2028 presidential run and is desperate to remain relevant.
“I am not done. I have lived my entire career as a life of service, and it’s in my bones,” she said about her plans.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also making the media rounds, fueling speculation of his 2028 aspirations, and potential cage match with Ms. Harris, for the top of the Democratic presidential ticket.
“Is it fair to say about the 2026 midterms, you’re going to give [a 2028 presidential run] serious thought?” a reporter recently asked him.
“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Mr. Newsom replied. “I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.”
Last week, Mr. Newsom was in Brazil at the COP30 climate summit, acting as if he were the king of America in Mr. Trump’s absence.
“[Trump is] an invasive species. … He’s a wrecking ball president. And he’s trying to roll back progress of the last century. … He’s doubling down on stupid,” Mr. Newsom preached to the globalist crowd.
Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away in California, residents are experiencing the highest gas prices in the country. His state has lost $370 billion in the past 10 years as high earners fled. None of his green policies has helped lower the average Californian’s cost of living.
Still, Mr. Newsom is coming off a win, with residents approving his redistricting efforts this month, voting in favor of Prop 50. The effort netted Mr. Newsom about $40 million in small-dollar donations, allowing him to invest in his 2028 ambitions.
“Gavin’s infrastructure is a highly developed, ready-for-president infrastructure,” a Newsom insider told Vanity Fair this week. “It was that last year, and it is even more so now.”
“He has the ability to help next year in a way that few other people in politics do,” another Newsom ally told Vanity Fair of the 2026 midterms. “If we win the House back next year, he’s going to be the guy who did that.”
Ms. Harris and Mr. Newsom got their starts in Democratic politics courtesy of San Francisco kingmaker Willie Brown. Three decades ago, Mr. Brown appointed Ms. Harris to multiple state boards and then, as mayor, helped position her for a role in the district attorney’s office. Around the same time, Mr. Brown appointed Mr. Newsom to the city’s Parking and Traffic Commission and then to the city’s Board of Supervisors, which helped him mount a successful run for mayor.
Now, Ms. Harris and Mr. Newsom appear to be on a collision course for the White House, with little affection between them.
In her book “107 Days,” Ms. Harris recalls how she tried to contact Mr. Newsom after President Biden decided not to seek reelection, catapulting her to the top of the ticket. Mr. Newsom’s reply was “Hiking. Will call back.”
“He never did,” Ms. Harris wrote.
Mr. Newsom told reporters he didn’t recognize Ms. Harris’ number and quickly drafted a letter of endorsement, which he assumed was also detailed in the book. It was not.
“As the Democratic Party, we have a lot of work to do to make up for our failures in the past,” Mr. Newsom told Stephen Colbert last month. “We got crushed in this last election.”
Ms. Harris disagrees.
She claims she was the “most qualified candidate ever” to run as president and has touted her skills at playing “three-dimensional chess” on the campaign trail, avoiding Mr. Trump’s traps.
All chess is played in three dimensions, and Ms. Harris lost the election.
Without Mr. Trump on the ticket in 2028, Mr. Newsom and Ms. Harris will be left to define their own visions for America and defend their own records.
Let the infighting commence.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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