Former Vice President Kamala Harris stated that while many of the negative outcomes she anticipated for a potential second Donald Trump term have materialized, she was surprised by the "capitulation" of powerful individuals.
"The number of powerful people who have stood quietly by in the face of what they know to be corruption and behavior and approaches that are contrary to the best interest of our country, the powerful people who you know bend the knee at the foot of a tyrant. I hadn’t anticipated that that was going to happen, to the degree it has," Harris said in a recent interview on "Baby, This is Keke Palmer."
Her comments come as recent polling indicates a decline in President Trump's popularity, with a significant portion of Americans believing he engaged in illegal or unethical activities for personal gain during his presidency, according to a poll by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Despite Trump's perceived unpopularity among the general public, figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other tech leaders have continued to offer him support. Harris observed that some of these powerful figures appear to be primarily transactional, driven by self-interest rather than moral or principled motivations.
"They’re not pretending to be guided by what’s morally right, or what’s value based, or what’s principled. They’re in it to get what they can get out of it," Harris explained. "They’re in it to get theirs. ‘I’m gonna get mine. When it stops producing for me, I’ll move on.’ And that is part of what we have seen, and what I didn’t see that coming to the extent that we’ve seen it happen. I have to admit."
This realization, she added, is why she advocates for Americans to be "transactional voters." She urged citizens not to disengage from the electoral process, even when dissatisfied with the system, emphasizing that not voting leads to being silenced.
"There are a lot of things that have worked, but there are many things that have not. But in your disappointment, don’t take yourself out of the game by not voting because you’re literally... you’re being silenced," Harris stated. "And this is not a moment where we can afford to be passive."