Critics blasted former Vice President Kamala Harris over Memorial Day weekend as social media users revisited her controversial 2021 Memorial Day scandal, while she spent the 2025 weekend being paid to attend an Australian real estate conference.
Four years ago, Harris posted a message on social media telling followers to “enjoy the long weekend” without mentioning the significance of Memorial Day or honoring fallen military service members.
The post sparked immediate backlash from critics who said she failed to acknowledge the solemn purpose of the federal holiday dedicated to remembering those who died serving in the military.
What a difference 4 years makes pic.twitter.com/ahm6smr5wn
— Abigail Jackson (@ATJackson47) May 26, 2025
The Memorial Day controversy resurfaced after Harris spent the weekend at a speaking gig at the 2025 Australian Real Estate Conference on the Gold Coast.
During an hour-long interview with Australian real estate industry veteran John McGrath, Harris made indirect criticisms of both President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Without naming Musk directly, Harris attacked his recent interview with podcast host Joe Rogan.
During his interview with Rogan, Musk had argued that “we’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on” and called it “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.” Musk contended that the rest of the world is “exploiting a bug in Western civilization” by taking advantage of this weakness.
“There was someone that is very popular these days, at least in the press, who suggested that it is a sign of weakness of Western civilizations to have empathy,” Harris said. “Imagine. No, it’s a sign of strength to have some level of curiosity and concern and care about the well-being of others.”
Harris also criticized her country’s own “America First” foreign policy approach without mentioning the president by name.
“I do worry, frankly, about what’s happening in the world right now,” Harris said. “I do worry that it is important that we remember history. It’s important that we remember the 1930s. It’s important that we remember that history has taught us that isolation does not equal insulation. It is important that we understand and remember history, which taught us the interdependence and interconnection between nations. History that has taught us the importance of relationships of trust, of the importance of friendships, integrity, honesty.”
Harris also made some bizarre remarks when she discussed her approach to political failures.
“I don’t hear no. I eat no for breakfast. I don’t hear no until maybe the tenth time. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times it has been explicitly or implicitly said to me – it’s not your time. You’re not ready, they’re not ready,” she said.
According to The Guardian, she received standing ovations and walked on and off the stage to Beyoncé’s “Halo.” McGrath praised Harris, calling her “one of the most successful women in history” with “her best work ahead of her.”
Harris is currently considering whether to run for California governor in 2026 or seek the presidency again in 2028.
She faces criticism from within her own party, including from former Los Angeles Mayor and California Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, who has questioned her role in the cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline during his administration.
The interview at the Australian real estate conference was Harris’s most prominent public appearance since her election loss.