Just days before Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Kamala Harris' staff gathered in her ceremonial office to witness her sign the desk, a tradition upheld by her predecessors for decades. Standing behind her with a camera was her husband, Doug Emhoff, as she used her Sharpie marker, reports AP. "It is not my nature to go quietly into the night," Harris remarked on Thursday. “So don't worry about that.” But what comes next for her? “I'll keep you posted,” she said. As of Monday, Harris has no plans other than to return home to California. For the first time since 2004, when she became San Francisco’s district attorney, she will not hold elected office. Joe Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president's resounding loss There is speculation she might write a book, run for governor, or perhaps pursue the presidency again. At 60, Harris remains relatively young in a political arena where the last two presidents have set records as the oldest elected. Donna Brazile, a veteran Democratic Party leader, recalled encouraging Harris to take a break and “learn what it's like to oversleep” for a while. Laughing, Brazile added, "Yeah, you’ll never go back to being ordinary.” Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s campaign when he transitioned from vice president to presidential candidate, noted, “I’ve had more people call me about what’s next for Kamala Harris than ever called me about what’s next for Al Gore.” Harris’ tenure was both groundbreaking and conventional. Like her predecessors, she addressed a portfolio of issues — including migration, abortion rights, and maternal health — and represented the U.S. abroad. Yet, as is common for vice presidents, she struggled to stand out due to the office’s limited constitutional role. However, Harris made history as the first woman, Black person, and person of South Asian descent to hold the vice presidency. Last year, she faced an unprecedented scenario when President Joe Biden chose not to seek reelection and endorsed her as his successor. With just 107 days left before the election, Harris launched an intense campaign against Trump, who is nearly two decades her senior. Despite her efforts, she was unable to defeat him. Harris voters motivated by democracy, Trump supporters by inflation and immigration Many Democrats criticised Biden for running again initially, arguing he placed Harris in an untenable position. Others scrutinised Harris’ campaign approach, suggesting she should have leaned into a populist message rather than focusing on Trump’s anti-democratic rhetoric alongside figures like Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman. Harris was also faulted for not sufficiently distinguishing herself from Biden, who remains unpopular among voters. Minyon Moore, who chaired last year’s Democratic National Convention, dismissed the criticisms, saying, “Ifa, woulda, coulda, shoulda.” Given the unique circumstances of Harris’ campaign, Moore added, “there was no road map for what she should have done.” Harris has yet to address questions about her loss or provide her perspective on the election. Her public comments have primarily aimed to motivate students and others disappointed by Trump’s victory, particularly after Democrats framed him as an existential threat. “No one can walk away,” Harris declared in a speech. “We must stay in the fight. Every one of us.” Initially planning to end her term with an international trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany to highlight her foreign policy work, Harris ultimately stayed in Washington as wildfires threatened Los Angeles. Her Brentwood home was in an evacuation zone. Harris avoided visiting the fire-affected area, concerned her presence might divert local resources, an anonymous official from her office explained. Despite cancelling her overseas trip, Harris indicated her desire to remain active on the global stage. She spent her final week in office making calls to foreign leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo. On Wednesday, Harris attended President Biden’s farewell address in the Oval Office, where he described her as “a great partner.” The two embraced after his speech. Biden had selected Harris as his running mate after her initial presidential campaign faltered four years ago. Once in office, her activities were limited by the pandemic and her role in the evenly divided U.S. Senate, where she frequently cast tiebreaking votes. She set a record for the number of such votes while advancing judicial nominees and key legislation. “She had to find her role,” said Joel Goldstein, a historian of the vice presidency. “It took some time to figure it out.” Moore recalled an Oval Office meeting with Harris during Biden’s deliberations over a U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Harris focused on finding a candidate who could effectively articulate dissenting opinions, recognising the challenges a liberal justice would face on a conservative-dominated court. Trump and Harris await results with battleground polls closing Harris championed Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination, helping fulfil Biden’s pledge to appoint a Black woman to the court. Jackson’s sharp dissenting opinions have since garnered significant attention. Addressing migration from Central America, one of Harris’ earliest assignments, became politically fraught. While Republicans labelled her the “border czar” and blamed her for illegal crossings, fewer migrants arrived from the countries where she focused her efforts. Harris also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich just before Russia’s invasion three years ago and spent a week in Africa laying the groundwork for renewed U.S. engagement. She visited Southeast Asia three times, reflecting her belief in the need to prioritise the region amidst China’s growing influence. “She believed we could emphasise this occasionally overlooked part of the world even more,” said Phil Gordon, her national security adviser. Abortion rights emerged as a defining issue for Harris after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. While Biden was more cautious on the topic, Harris became the face of the administration’s response. Lorraine Voles, Harris’ chief of staff, described the court decision as “a turning point” for the vice president. “That opened up a lane for her in a way that maybe wasn’t there previously,” Voles said. “People hadn’t been as focused on maternal health and reproductive health until those rights were threatened.” Nadia Brown, a Georgetown University professor specialising in Black women and politics, said Harris will “certainly go down in the history books” for breaking racial and gender barriers. Harris’ vice presidency, Brown added, helped broaden perceptions of what leadership can look like, challenging stereotypes among "everyday Americans.” What Harris will do next remains uncertain. “It’s not over,” Brown concluded. “But I’m not sure what that next chapter is.”

Many of Donald Trump’s supporters left a Michigan rally before he arrived after the former president kept them waiting for three hours to tape a popular podcast interview. Those who remained at the outdoor rally on an airport tarmac huddled in the cold Friday night as they waited for the former president to touch down in the battleground state. Trump apologized to the crowd for the delay, which he blamed on an interview with Joe Rogan, the nation’s most listened-to podcaster and an influential voice with younger male voters Trump is aggressively courting. The interview, taped in Austin, Texas, was released Friday night and ran a whopping three hours, with Trump telling many familiar stories from his rallies and other interviews but also engaging with Rogan on topics like the existence of UFOs. Democrat Kamala Harris was also in Texas Friday for an appearance with superstar Beyoncé in Houston at an event highlighting the conservative state's abortion ban, which was enacted after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Three of the justices who voted to overturn Roe were nominated by Trump. Minutes before Trump's Michigan rally was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, his spokesman posted on the social media platform X that Trump was just leaving Texas, more than two hours away by air. Trump recorded a video from his plane urging his supporters to stay, noting it was Friday night and promising, “We’re going to have a good time tonight.” Trump eventually took the stage at the Traverse City airport, where temperatures dipped to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). The crowd erupted into cheers as video screens showed Trump’s plane arriving and then him walking off his plane and down the steps. “I am so sorry,” he said. “We got so tied up, and I figured you wouldn’t mind too much because we’re trying to win.” Attendees who hadn't left bundled up, some covered by blankets, as they waited for him to land. The crowd sounded and looked disengaged as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon tried to kill time onstage. Hats were thrown to attendees. Among those who stuck around at Trump’s rally were John and Cheryl Sowash, who live in Traverse City, and arrived at the airport at 4 p.m. “Things happen,” said John. “He spoke to a lot more people talking to Joe Rogan than he did here.” Indeed, Cheryl said she was worried about Trump, who had missed speaking to a larger crowd. “He’s gonna be disappointed, because there were twice as many people here. He missed it,” she said. Rogan interview underscores Trump’s focus on masculinityHis interview with Rogan created another opportunity for the Republican nominee to highlight the hypermasculine tone that has defined much of his 2024 White House bid. Trump has made masculinity a central theme of his campaign, appearing on podcasts targeting young male voters and tapping surrogates who sometimes use crude language. Throughout the lengthy conversation, Trump told familiar stories but occasionally dropped new color and nuance. Rogan pressed Trump on whether he’s “completely committed” to bringing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into his administration. “Oh, I completely am,” Trump responded, but added he and Kennedy disagree on environmental policies. He said he’ll tell Kennedy to “focus on health, do whatever you want.” Kennedy has been instrumental in spreading skepticism about vaccines, rejecting the overwhelming consensus among scientists that the benefits of inoculation outweigh the rare risk of side effects. Trump again seemed to entertain the idea of eliminating federal income taxes, telling Rogan, “Yeah, sure why not?” when asked by the podcast host if he was serious about it. He also repeated at length his grievances about the 2020 election but said, "If I win, this will be my last election.” Trump said he’s “never been a believer” in theories about extraterrestrial life visiting Earth. He said he is asked constantly about what the U.S. government knows about “the people coming from space.” He said as president he was told “a lot” but he dodged Rogan’s entreaties to discuss alien life in detail. And he criticized federal subsidies aiming to significantly boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, one of President Joe Biden’s signature achievements. Chipmakers have credited the legislation for enabling billions of dollars in new factories, including in battleground state Arizona. He also ripped Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that has long been aligned with the U.S. “You know, Taiwan, they stole our chip business,” Trump told Rogan. “OK. They want us to protect and they want protection. They don’t pay us money for the protection, you know? The mob makes you pay money, right?” Trump called Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose Beijing government considers Taiwan a breakaway province, a “brilliant guy, whether you like it or not.” The podcaster is known for his hours-long interviews on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is listed as No. 1 in the United States, according to Spotify’s charts. He calls women “chicks” and once laughed as a comedian friend described repeatedly coercing young female comics into sex. Rogan and Trump have a complicated relationship. Rogan had previously said that he declined to host Trump on his podcast before because he did not want to help him. Earlier this year, Trump criticized Rogan after the podcaster said that Kennedy, then a candidate, was the only person running for president who made sense to him. Kennedy has since suspended his bid, endorsed Trump and joined him on the campaign trail. Trump mocks Harris' rally with Beyoncé and drives immigration messageIn Michigan and at an earlier press conference in Texas, Trump repeatedly mocked his opponent’s rally in Houston. “Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” he told the Michigan crowd. He used his trip to Texas, his second stop in a border state in two days, to escalate his already dark and apocalyptic rhetoric against illegal immigration. “We’re like a garbage can for the rest of the world to dump the people that they don’t want,” Trump told supporters Friday in Austin. Trump has continued to push the unfounded idea that foreign governments actively send criminals to the U.S. Harris said the remark is “just another example of how he really belittles our country.” “The president of the United States should be someone who elevates discourse and talks about the best of who we are, and invests in the best of who we are, not someone like Donald Trump, who is constantly demeaning and belittling who the American people are,” Harris told reporters in Houston before her event. As the temperature in Michigan dropped Friday night and many in the crowd streamed out, Trump suggested that his campaign advisers have urged him not to repeat his past statements about being the “protector” of women. The former president mimicked advice he said he was getting: “‘Sir, please don’t say you’re going to protect women.’” But he said he planned to keep saying it. “I mean, that’s our job.” That too was a response of sorts to the Harris event, which was focused on protecting reproductive rights and included a string of women talking about having their health threatened by strict abortion restrictions. Trump’s rally was also interrupted twice by audience members needing medical attention. After the second incident, Trump asked organizers to play the song Ave Maria to fill the time. That was reminiscent of a recent Trump rally in Pennsylvania when medical attention being required in the audience caused Trump to sway to that and other songs for nearly 40 minutes. This time, though, he continued speaking after “Ave Maria” ended.

Two weeks out from Election Day, the crisis in the Middle East is looming over the race for the White House, with one candidate struggling to find just the right words to navigate its difficult cross-currents and the other making bold pronouncements that the age-old conflict can quickly be set right. Vice President Kamala Harris has been painstakingly — and not always successfully — trying to balance talk of strong support for Israel with harsh condemnations of civilian casualties among Palestinians and others caught up in Israel's wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Harris seeks to win over Republicans uneasy about Trump with visits to Midwestern suburbs Former President Donald Trump, for his part, insists that none of this would have happened on his watch and that he can make it all go away if elected. Both of them are bidding for the votes of Arab and Muslim American voters and Jewish voters, particularly in extremely tight races in the battleground states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. Harris over the weekend alternately drew praise and criticism over her comments about a pro-Palestinian protester that were captured on a widely shared video. Some took Harris' remark that the protester's concerns were “real” to be an expression of agreement with his description of Israel’s conduct as “genocide.” That drew sharp condemnation from Israel’s former ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren. But Harris' campaign said that while the vice president was agreeing more generally about the plight of civilians in Gaza, she was not and would not accuse Israel of genocide. A day earlier, the dynamics were reversed when Harris told reporters that the “first and most tragic story” of the conflict was the Oct. 7 Hamas attack last year that killed about 1,200 Israelis. That was triggering to those who feel she is not giving proper weight to the deaths of the more than 41,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza. Trump, meanwhile, in recent days has participated in interviews with Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and Lebanese outlet MTV, where he promised to bring about peace and said “things will turn out very well” in Lebanon. In a post on his social media platform Monday, he predicted a Harris presidency would only make matters in the Mideast worse. “If Kamala gets four more years, the Middle East will spend the next four decades going up in flames, and your kids will be going off to War, maybe even a Third World War, something that will never happen with President Donald J. Trump in charge,” Trump posted. “For our Country’s sake, and for your kids, Vote Trump for PEACE!” Harris' position is particularly awkward because as vice president she is tethered to President Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions even as she’s tried to strike a more empathetic tone to all parties. But Harris aides and allies also are frustrated with what they see as Trump largely getting a pass on some of his unpredictable foreign policy statements. “It’s the very thoughtful, very careful school versus the showboat,” said James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute, who has endorsed Harris. “That does become a handicap in these late stages when he’s making all these overtures. When the bill comes due they’re going to walk away empty-handed, but by then it’ll be too late.” The political divisions on the campaign trail augur potentially significant implications after Election Day as powers in the region, particularly Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, closely eye the outcome and the potential for any shifts to U.S. foreign policy. A new AP-NORC poll finds that neither Trump nor Harris has a clear political advantage on the situation in the Middle East. About 4 in 10 registered voters say Trump would do a better job, and a similar share say that about Harris. Roughly 2 in 10 say neither candidate would do a better job. There are some signs of weakness on the issue for Harris within her own party, however. Only about two-thirds of Democratic voters say Harris would be the better candidate to handle the situation in the Middle East. Among Republicans, about 8 in 10 say Trump would be better. In Michigan, which has the nation’s largest concentration of Arab Americans, the Israel-Hamas war has profound and personal impacts on the community. In addition to many community members having family in both Lebanon and Gaza, Kamel Ahmad Jawad, a metro Detroit resident, was killed while trying to deliver aid to his hometown in southern Lebanon. The war’s direct impact on the community has fueled outrage and calls for the U.S. to demand an unconditional cease-fire and impose a weapons embargo on Israel. Although both parties have largely supported Israel, much of the outrage and blame has been directed at Biden. When Harris entered the race, many Arab American leaders initially felt a renewed sense of optimism, citing her past comments and the early outreach efforts of her campaign. However, that optimism quickly faded as the community perceived that she had not sufficiently distanced her policies from those of Biden. “To say to Arab Americans, ‘Trump is going to be worse’ — what is worse than having members of your family killed?” said Rima Meroueh, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities. “That’s what people are saying when they’re asked the question, ‘Isn’t Trump going to be worse?’ It can’t be worse than what’s happening to us right now.” Future Coalition PAC, a super PAC backed by billionaire Elon Musk, is running ads in Arab American communities in Michigan focused on Harris’ support for Israel, complete with a photo of her and her husband, Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish. The same group is sending the opposite message to Jewish voters in Pennsylvania, attacking her support for the withholding of some weapons from Israel — a Biden administration move to pressure the longtime U.S. ally to limit civilian casualties. Harris spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein cast Trump's approach toward the Middle East as part of a broader sign that "an unchecked, unhinged Trump is simply too dangerous — he would bring us right back to the chaotic, go-it-alone approach that made the world less safe and he would weaken America.”