During a speech at a gala in San Francisco on Wednesday, former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris re-emerged on the political scene, taking aim at President Donald Trump.

Denouncing Trump for setting off the “greatest man-made economic crisis” in modern American history for his tariff policies, Harris sought to position herself as a consensus figure. While the Democrats remain adrift, she praised those in her party who had been resisting the new administration on everything from economic policy to civil liberties.

But as much as her speech hit all the normal liberal beats — positioning Trump as chaotic and authoritarian — it was also a reminder that Harris is probably not the leader Democrats need at this moment. She talked up her allies, from Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen to New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — but it’s noteworthy that she herself quickly disappeared from the scene after her defeat. Instead, she signed on to work as a paid speaker, and is rumoured to be considering a run for California governor. The hard work of crafting a strategy to oppose Trump has largely fallen on the party’s elected officials.

Van Hollen, for instance, traveled to El Salvador to shine a spotlight on the administration’s deportations without due process. Ocasio-Cortez has been barnstorming the country trying to popularise an uprising against what she deems an American oligarchy. Harris, on the other hand, only seems to have California on the mind.

The Democrats who position themselves on the frontline of Trump 2.0, however, won’t be able to avoid stepping into controversies, both within their party and outside of it. For instance, Trump has always believed that immigration is his strongest issue. Humbled by his victory in November, many Democrats initially positioned themselves to work with him; dozens in Congress voted for the Laken Riley Act, a new law that will make it easier for authorities to crack down on unlawful migrants. But as it became clear that the President would be pushing the boundaries of the law and the Constitution in his crackdown on immigrants — both legal and illegal — much of the party has adopted a more adversarial tone.

In doing so, the Democrats have to be careful to not make the same mistake Trump and Biden did. During Trump’s first term in office, he over-interpreted his mandate and not only got tougher on illegal immigration but imposed deeply unpopular policies such as child separation. Biden, on the other hand, rode the backlash to Trump and pursued policies that were overly permissive.

The challenge for Democrats is to calibrate themselves in a way that captures the hearts of the broad middle of the country rather than the wings. That’s true not just on immigration but also issues like trade, taxation, labour, war, and thorny social and cultural issues like how the country should approach care for children who believe themselves to be transgender.

Harris, in her own campaign for the presidency, failed to capture a credible middle and has shown little interest in serving as a compass for the party today. This is in contrast to figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has started a podcast to specifically talk across the political divide. But perhaps others in the party — like the senators and governors presiding over swing states who are likely to play the same pivotal role in 2028 — can show the Democrats the way forward. Harris would only be a step backwards.

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