Where this was said
Kamala Harris's Potential 2028 Run and the Authenticity Challenge
At 43:23 · chapter starts 40:00
Axios reports that Kamala Harris has been quietly reaching out to progressive leaders — including Zohran Mamdani, AOC, and figures from the Uncommitted Movement — as she weighs a 2028 presidential run. Dan says that six months ago he would have bet against her running, but the accumulating signals suggest she's serious. He argues there is no plausible path to the 2028 nomination that doesn't involve a massive pivot on Gaza and Israel policy, and the outreach to progressive leaders suggests she understands that. But Jon issues a pointed warning: any pivot that looks calculated or focus-grouped will fail. Harris needs to demonstrate genuine, visceral anger — the kind that aides say she felt privately during the 2024 campaign but was never willing to express publicly. She needs to give a Palestinian speaker a slot at the convention, something that seemed crazy not to do in hindsight. She also needs to own personal responsibility for the decisions made, not hide behind the 'I was vice president' defense. More broadly, Jon questions whether Harris has a clear answer to the fundamental question: why does she want to be president? The hosts close by noting that, if historical timing holds, the first Democratic primary debate of 2028 is only about a year away — and the opening skirmishes of what promises to be a brutal intraparty war have already begun.
Steve Bannon publicly warned that Republicans mock progressive anti-establishment candidates at their peril, comparing them to the Tea Party. He sees DSA candidates going after the Democratic establishment the same way Breitbart went after the Republican establishment — and he finds it sophisticated.
Reports indicate Kamala Harris is quietly reaching out to Zohran Mamdani, AOC, and the Uncommitted Movement ahead of a possible 2028 run. Jon Favreau's warning: she cannot focus-group her way to the nomination. She needs genuine, visceral reckoning on Gaza — not a calculated pivot.
