Harris spotlights Hill resistance to Trump
The former veep reemerged with a blistering critique of Trump’s second term, praise for progressive lawmakers—and a speech that’s fueling speculation she’s preparing for a political comeback.
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! First things first: The economy shrank 0.3 percent in Q1, the first decline since 2022, driven by falling government spending and a surge in pre-tariff imports. … Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set a July 4 deadline for Republicans to pass their sweeping domestic policy bill. … A Senate bid to repeal President Donald Trump’s global tariffs failed 49–49 after absences by two tariff critics: Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). … The Senate confirmed David Perdue as U.S. ambassador to China amid escalating trade tensions. … The House passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, criminalizing nonconsensual deepfakes and revenge porn. … The House passed the TICKET Act to require upfront ticket pricing and ban speculative sales. … Democrats reintroduced the Equality Act to ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationwide. … Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Assault Weapons Ban, continuing the legacy of his predecessor, Dianne Feinstein. Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reintroduced the Clean Slate Act to seal low-level federal records. … Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.) proposed lifting cannabis research restrictions and supporting legalization. … Rep. Shri Thanedar(D-Mich.) introduced Trump impeachment articles, drawing rebukes from fellow Democrats. … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told The View he won’t run for president in 2028. … Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) launched a 2026 Senate bid for Tina Smith’s soon-to-be-open seat in Minnesota. … Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) revealed his cancer has returned and said he won’t seek re-election. … Congress awarded a Congressional Gold Medal to the trailblazing 6888th battalion of Black women in WWII. Keep reading for what else is worth knowing from the Hill this week—straight from my notebook to your inbox.
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Harris reenters with a warning
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, former Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a scathing critique of President Donald Trump at Emerge America’s 20th anniversary gala.
Allow me to explain: Harris praised several Democratic lawmakers for their moral clarity in resisting Trump’s agenda, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-N.Y.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.).
Crockett learned of the shoutout last night while still in a House Judiciary Committee markup and was especially thrilled to be the first House member named.
In his own words: We, of course, continue to welcome her thoughts and ideas,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said of Harris, calling her a valuable voice in today’s crowded media environment.
“It was a great shoutout for them,” he added.
In the know: Harris accused Trump of abandoning American ideals in favor of fear and authoritarianism.
She called his tariffs “reckless” and blamed them for the “greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.”
On immigration, she cited cases of citizens wrongfully deported and warned that what may appear chaotic is a deliberate conservative campaign to reshape society.
“Courage is contagious,” she said, urging continued resistance. The speech drew multiple standing ovations.
How we got here: After attending Trump’s January inauguration, Harris returned to California, where she kept a low profile.
She volunteered with wildfire relief efforts and World Central Kitchen, signed with Creative Artists Agency, and received the NAACP Image Awards’ Chairman’s Award.
Her reemergence follows Trump’s move last month to revoke her security clearance, along with those of former President Joe Biden and several former senior officials—a stark break from precedent.
A closer look: Harris joins a long line of former vice presidents—and a few former presidential nominees—who have reentered the political arena after a loss.
Richard Nixon made one of the most famous comebacks, winning the presidency in 1968 after losing the 1960 presidential race and a 1962 bid for California governor.
Al Gore pivoted to climate advocacy after the 2000 election, earning a Nobel Peace Prize.
Walter Mondale ran again in 1984, while Hubert Humphrey returned to the Senate after his 1968 loss.
Looking ahead: Harris didn’t address her future directly, but the speech fueled speculation about a 2026 gubernatorial run or a 2028 presidential campaign. She’s expected to make a decision this summer.
“My advice to her is do what you think is best for the country,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said this morning.
He added that he’s spoken to both Harris and Biden privately since they left office.
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Booker, Jeffries channel Lewis in protest
I learned this week that the idea for the 12-hour sit-in led by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Hakeem Jeffries on the House steps last Sunday originated from outreach from Booker’s office to his Brooklyn colleague’s team.
Allow me to explain: Booker hoped to recreate a moment of moral clarity in the tradition of the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), whom he joined in 2017 for a four-hour sit-in on the Senate steps during Republicans’ ultimately failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Now, as congressional Republicans race to draft and pass a massive budget bill to enact President Trump’s legislative priorities—including an extension of the 2017 tax cuts—Booker and Jeffries once again drew on the power of symbolic resistance to mobilize public opposition.
In his own words: “We’re going to continue to ask the question, ‘What would John Lewis do in this moment?’ And it’s clear that he would say, ‘Never give up, never give in, go out there and get into some good trouble,’” Jeffries said the next day. “That’s why we sat down on the Capitol steps yesterday—just two of us, great leadership in Sen. Booker—and we saw how the American people responded.”
In the know: The protest began just after 6 a.m. and was livestreamed across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.
Throughout the day, Jeffries and Booker were joined by fellow lawmakers including Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Amy Klobuchar(D-Minn.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Reps. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.).
“My house is chaos,” Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) joked, having been spring cleaning when she got the call about the demonstration. “But it was worth it. I got to see a couple of my constituents.”
“It was organic. It was peaceful. It was powerful for many members, who don’t usually come in on Sunday or go to the Capitol on Sunday. That’s also what made it meaningful,” a House Democrat texted me. “And there were no talking points or messaging meetings about it.”
How we got here: The demonstration followed Booker’s 25-hour Senate floor speech last month opposing the Trump administration’s agenda—part of a sustained campaign by some Democrats to mount a moral and legislative challenge to Trump 2.0.
In a high-profile speech delivered yesterday just a mile from the Capitol, Jeffries laid out a forward-looking agenda while sharply criticizing Trump’s first 100 days back in office.
The top House Democrat told me after Booker’s speech that the two have known each other for 25 years.
Both prominent Black lawmakers entered politics around the same time, attended law school during the same era, and have long moved in the same circles.
Looking ahead: House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) hinted this week that more members could follow the example set by Jeffries and Booker—and the legacy of Lewis.
“I think that us Democrats look forward to exercising our viewpoints, maybe creating a little bit of good trouble and making our perspectives heard—while doing it together as a caucus family.”
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Inside the rise of faith-forward Democrats
Jeffries and Booker explained they held the sit-in on Sunday because it’s a day of faith, spirituality and moral reflection for millions of Americans.
Allow me to explain: The two men framed the protest in moral terms, reflecting a broader reemergence of faith-forward messaging among Black Democrats.
It’s both a reflection of who they are and a strategic effort to humanize themselves to a skeptical electorate, reasserting their ability to meet the moment with conviction.
For voters who have long relied on the Black church for leadership, survival, and empowerment, faith is not a performance—it’s a source of political power and moral clarity.
This approach offers a different kind of authenticity than the popular, outsider energy of figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders.
But both styles respond to the same demand: Leadership that feels real.
What they’re saying: Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), a senior pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, called the current moment a spiritual crisis.
“There is a deep kind of malaise and despair, and there are folks in this administration who are trying to weaponize despair,” he said. “And so in those moments, you tend to lean into the thing that gives you strength. And for many of us, that’s faith.”
Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), a second-term congressman, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Prayer Breakfast and the son of civil rights leader and Baptist minister Jesse Jackson, told me he believed religion is bigger than law and that Democrats shouldn’t be afraid to lean into their convictions.
“We should have a moral work,” he said. “And that ought to be reflected in our votes.”
André Carson (D-Ind.), the second Muslim to be elected to Congress, called it “monumental” to see people of all faiths—or none—welcomed at the sit-in, crediting Jeffries and Booker for championing inclusivity.
“I think it’s a sign of greater things to come,” he added. “It’s a reflection that all great movements in this country were led by—not just people of color—but foundational Black Americans.”
Even Jeffries evoked faith at the close of his 100-days speech, recalling an 88-year-old woman who lost her home in the California wildfires but never her belief in God.
“Mrs. Jacobs lost everything, but she never lost her faith,” he said. “Just like Mrs. Jacobs, we must never lose faith.”
How we got here: The Black church has been a cornerstone of political and cultural life since slavery, when enslaved Africans fused Christian teachings with African spiritual traditions to create worship centered on liberation and survival.
After emancipation, churches like the AME and the National Baptist Convention became major Black-led institutions.
Throughout the Jim Crow era, the civil rights movement, and into the 21st century, the Black church has remained a powerful organizing force, elevating figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jackson, and Barack Obama.
Not so fast: Younger Black Americans are less likely to attend church regularly, complicating the church’s traditional role in mobilizing voters.
Still, many younger activists continue to collaborate with faith leaders, particularly during times of national crisis.
The big picture: The question now is whether this faith-forward approach will scale beyond symbolism.
As Trump’s second term tests the limits of institutional resistance, Black Democrats grounded in spiritual tradition believe they may be best positioned to channel not just righteous anger but durable hope.
But they’ll have to do more than bear moral witness—they’ll need to convert faith into power.
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