n a speech at Hamilton College on Thursday, former Pres. Barack Obama criticized the second Trump administration for threats against universities and for what he framed as upending the international order, according to a transcript of his remarks.
Obama also criticized the new tariffs, saying "I don't think what we just witnessed in terms of economic policy and tariffs is going to be good for America." https://abcnews.visitlink.me/zoriZD
Kamala Harris was ‘completely shocked’ by election night loss to Trump after she ‘bought the hype’ Former Vice President Kamala Harris was floored by her loss to President Trump this past November, having “bought the hype” that her campaign was in good shape in the run-up to Election Day, according to the author of a new book on the 2024 presidential election.
“She was completely shocked, and Tim Walz was shocked,” The Hill correspondent Amie Parnes, co-author of “FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,” told the podcast “Somebody’s Gotta Win with Tara Palmeri” Thursday.
Walz was so “stunned” by Harris’ crushing defeat that he was unable to speak, according to Parnes.
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According to the new book, former VP Kamala Harris was shocked by her 2024 election loss. Bloomberg via Getty Images
“He has no words,” the reporter told Palmeri, describing the Minnesota governor sitting in his hotel room silently on election night as staffers tried to explain the situation.
“And people are kind of explaining to him, same thing with [Harris]. And she’s like, ‘Are you sure? Have we done a recount? Should we do a recount?’” Parnes continued.
“They thought that they were going to win,” she added. “And so, you know, when they come back now and say, ‘Oh no, we didn’t really have a chance.’ No, that’s not what they were thinking. They thought they were going to win.”
Parnes reported that some members of Harris’ team felt they were being “gaslit” by senior campaign officials, who were confident that “things were looking good” for the Democratic nominee.
Harris “bought the hype,” according to the journalist, and thought she was on a path to victory.
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While continuing to discuss the confusion within the Harris campaign on election night, Parnes said that Walz was sitting in his hotel room “stunned.” Getty Images
“Kamala Harris was looking at her crowd size, and they felt like the vibe was strong and people were saying, ‘Oh, we have more boots on the ground. We’re doing better in fundraising,’” Parnes said. “And she bought all of that. She bought the hype, and so did a lot of people in the campaign.”
In the aftermath of her defeat, Harris reportedly told friends that she could have beaten Trump had she had more time and had former President Joe Biden initially run for re-election before bowing out July 21.
“She could have won, she told friends, if only the election was later in the calendar — or she got in earlier. In other words, Joe Biden was to blame,” Parnes and co-author Jonathan Allen write in their book, according to Fox News.
Some of Harris’ friends don’t buy the former vice president’s assessment.
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According to the book, Harris reportedly told friends in the aftermath of her defeat that she could’ve won the election if she had more time and if Biden hadn’t run for re-election. Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
“That is f—ing bonkers,” said one Harris friend, according to Parnes and Allen. “If Election Day was October first, we might have actually somehow pulled it off. Shorter was actually better, not longer.”
“I don’t think we needed more time … We needed more substance,” a Harris campaign adviser argued. “And she did not have more substance.”
Parnes and Allen’s book further reveals that former President Barack Obama was reluctant to endorse Harris after Biden dropped out of the race because he felt she couldn’t beat Trump.
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One Harris advisor said the candidate’s problem was “substance,” not a lack of campaign time. Christopher Sadowski
“He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats, and he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention, did not have faith in her ability to win the election,” Allen said during an appearance on MSNBC earlier this week.
“As it turned out, she didn’t win, but he was really working against her,” he added.
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The book also revealed that former President Obama hesitated to endorse Harris, believing she couldn’t win against Trump. Getty Images
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