According to five people familiar with her thinking—two current Harris aides, two former Harris aides, and a White House official—Vice President Kamala Harris will be focused on ensuring a peaceful transfer of power and avoiding the deadly chaos that engulfed the Capitol exactly four years ago as she presides over a joint session of Congress on Monday to certify her own election loss to Donald Trump.
“It is a sacred obligation that I will uphold, guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and my unwavering faith in the American people,” Harris says in a taped video message about her job on Monday that was first acquired by NBC News.
Trump falsely claimed that the election had been stolen from him during a rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, and encouraged Vice President Mike Pence to not certify the results. The Capitol was subsequently attacked by a large contingent of his followers who marched there.
That day, a pipe bomb was found close to a park bench outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters while Harris, the vice president-elect at the time, was inside. Minutes thereafter, she was evacuated by the Secret Service and Capitol Police.
In what is predicted to be unusually cold weather with heavy snowfall, Harris has accepted the 2024 results, and no mass Democratic protests are scheduled.
According to interviews with current and former Harris aides, the vice president stated that she thinks she has an opportunity Monday to restate the nation’s democratic norms and that, despite her defeat by Trump, she has communicated to those close to her and Democratic leaders that she intends to remain involved in politics after leaving office.
In her latest video message, Harris states, “As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile. I will fulfill my constitutional duty as the vice president of the United States today at the U.S. Capitol to certify the results of the 2024 election.” And it is our individual responsibility to defend our most valued values.
According to a White House official, the purpose of the video is to remind all Americans of their part in maintaining our democracy and to reinforce Harris’ unwavering conviction that the vice president’s role in certifying election results is exclusively ministerial. The person went on to say that Harris has continuously sought to carry out a peaceful handover of power in the weeks since she made it apparent in her concession address after Election Day.
According to a current senior Harris aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to openly discuss the vice president’s thinking, she believes it is critical to preserve the principles and standards of our democracy and ensure that people understand that she supports democracy when it benefits her. She made a conscious effort to ensure that this day would not be associated with politics or her nomination. Until it turned into a violent day in history, we took the performance of this obligation for granted. She is clear-eyed because she is aware of that. This is what democracy looks like, and she wants people to know that.
Although Harris might not display it on Monday, it will also be emotional for the vice president and many of her fans, according to a former longtime Harris assistant who worked on her campaign.
The individual who spoke on condition of anonymity to be frank stated that there is undoubtedly sadness and frustration. The nation didn’t want to move in that path, but she felt she should have won the contest.
She won’t allow disappointment or politics to stop her from certifying votes, a senior Harris aide vowed.
According to the assistant, the vice president is aware that both elected officials who have sworn the oath of office and regular individuals must actively protect our democracy. The vice president will certify the presidential election on January 6 and reaffirm the will of the American people with this profound sense of duty and responsibility in mind.
Harris has been urging her allies, including her own family members, that they must move forward, according to a former Harris aide who has been spending time with her, including at Christmas gatherings last month.
According to the former Harris aide, backstage at Howard, she was telling her own family members that there would be no “pity parties,” that we had a lot to be proud of in the way we ran the campaign, and that people should carry themselves with pride. She then shared that message with the campaign team, current and past employees, donors who attended the events, members of Congress, and leaders of advocacy groups who were invited to several of the holiday parties.
Both the current and past aides stated that it is quite possible that Harris will establish an organization after leaving government in order to travel, give speeches, and promote some of the causes she discussed during the campaign. The precise legal structure that such a group would adopt was still unknown. Additionally, according to the aides, Harris is still unsure about her next course of action.
Although a Black woman has never been elected governor of any state, Harris is open to exploring a variety of options, according to former and current staffers, including running for president in 2028 or for governor of California in 2026. Although it’s unclear if Harris would be interested in any of those alternatives, some have even proposed that Harris become a professor or perhaps host a food program. Harris is anticipated to return to California shortly after leaving office.
According to the former aide who attended the holiday parties, she is still in the stage when she hasn’t decided exactly how she would stay in the fight, but she simply decides to do so generally. She hasn’t, in my opinion, made any decisions on that.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!