Former Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t hold back her emotions as she condemned what she called a “criminal” assault on science and truth under President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Speaking during a live taping of Kara Swisher’s podcast at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., Harris offered an unfiltered critique of the current administration’s handling of public health, science, and justice.
The event, centered on the release of Harris’s new memoir 107 Days,
took an unexpectedly fiery turn when the conversation shifted from her campaign reflections to the state of the nation under Trump’s second term. Swisher joked that by the time they were done talking, “nine or ten crazy things” would have happened in the news cycle — a quip Harris met with both humor and frustration.
“I think you have some fans here,” Harris began, greeting the audience before taking a pointed jab at the former president. “You should be a little louder. Donald Trump’s just a couple hundred yards from here — though he may be hard of hearing.” The crowd erupted in laughter and applause, but moments later, the tone changed.
When Swisher brought up Kennedy’s controversial remarks linking circumcision to autism — comments that drew widespread backlash from the medical community — Harris’s expression hardened. “Do your reaction again,” Swisher prompted her, referencing Harris’s shock.
“Well, here’s the thing, Kara,” Harris said, her tone shifting from amusement to anger. “Many of you know my background. I’m the daughter of a mother who was a scientist. Her life’s goal was to end breast cancer and uplift the human condition. She worked at NIH, collaborating with scientists dedicated to alleviating pain and saving lives.”
Then Harris paused, her voice tightening. “And when I see what these people are doing right now — denying science, firing scientists, spreading lies from the highest levels of government — it’s personal for me. It’s criminal. People will die because of what they’re doing. I can’t laugh about that. I’m sorry. It’s f—– up. It’s f—– up.”
The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting in applause.
Swisher pressed further, asking Harris about her book’s reflections on Trump’s character and her predictions about his instability and authoritarian tendencies. “You called him dangerous, unfit, even a fascist,” Swisher said. “He’s proven you right in innumerable ways. How much worse can it get?”
Harris didn’t hesitate. “Every day something comes out of this White House,” she said. “Every day there’s another abuse of power. From the Department of Justice targeting political enemies to the Secretary of Health weaponizing misinformation — it’s relentless.”
She cited the recent indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James by Trump’s Justice Department as an example of “lawless retribution” and warned that democratic institutions were being tested like never before. “I’ll be candid — I don’t know that it won’t get worse before it gets better,” Harris admitted. “But we have to fight. We can’t get used to this. We can’t be overwhelmed or silenced.”
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The audience, filled with former staffers, activists, and students, listened closely as Harris recalled meeting young people who told her they’d only known a Trump presidency. “One student told me our 107-day campaign gave him hope,” she said. “That’s why I wrote this book — to remind people that optimism and courage are still possible. That light inside us cannot be extinguished, even in this darkness.”
Swisher then turned the discussion toward the legal system. Could America’s institutions survive three more years of Trump? Harris, a former prosecutor, didn’t mince words. “The guardrails are failing,” she said. “The courts are strained. The Supreme Court has given this president near-total immunity. What we’re seeing isn’t chaos — it’s a plan. A decades-long plan.”
Referencing conservative movements like the Federalist Society and Project 2025, Harris argued that Trump’s current power structure was the culmination of “years of preparation.” Yet, she emphasized that one guardrail still remained: the American people.
“The courts might bend. Congress might fail. But the people — we are the last guardrail,” Harris said, her voice rising with conviction. “They cannot defeat our spirit if we don’t let them. And if they do, they’re winning. And I refuse to let them win.”