Politics
Granderson: Harris would be a 'first' in many ways. She can handle it
The more America sees Vice President Kamala Harris and gets to know her, the more America will see what President Biden saw when he selected her as his running mate: She can handle it.
Opinion Columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports and navigating life in America.
And I’m not just talking about the campaign schedule, earning the nomination or doing the job. I’m talking about what she’ll have to endure as a “first.” Biden saw up close what it’s like, having campaigned with and served two terms next to Barack Obama. Do you need a refresher on the racial ugliness that a Black man’s presidential candidacy revealed starting in 2008? The misogyny that reared its head when Hillary Clinton was the Democratic nominee in 2016? You shouldn’t, because that racist and sexist ugliness is not even history; it’s the face of the Republican presidential ticket in 2024.
No president has it easy. Few even have it good. But the weight of the presidency was not all that Obama carried, and what Biden said in endorsing Harris for the presidency this week is that she is strong enough to carry that added weight.
If elected, she would be the first woman to be president, the first Black woman to be president, the first person of South Asian or Jamaican descent to be president, the first president to be in an interracial marriage, and the first president whose spouse is Jewish.
Biden’s endorsement was touching not only because he was saying that she could handle carrying those mantles. It was also touching because he was going through something like what she endured in 2020. When she first ran for president, her campaign was among the first to shutter its doors. Many are quick to remember that part. Fewer give Harris the credit for having the strength to run as a Black woman in America in the first place.
“Some might think that breaking barriers mean you start out on one side of the barrier and then you just turn up on the other side of the barrier … no,” Harris told journalist Jemele Hill in 2019. “There’s breaking involved and when you break things, it’s painful. You get hurt. You may get cut and you may bleed.
“It will be worth it, but it’s not without pain.”
That’s not meant to get voters to feel sorry for her. Quite the opposite. She’s reminding voters that’s she’s tougher than many of us could ever know. It must be quite an odd existence now to be considered both the backbone of a major party and yet to be doubly dismissed because of race and gender.
Malcolm X pointed out 60 years ago that “the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman,” and judging from the racism and sexism that exploded the moment Biden announced he was stepping aside, much of that still rings true today. Her ability to win against former President Trump questioned by sports personalities who struggle to predict winners in their own field. Her intellect questioned despite a brilliant career: Trump called her “dumb as a rock” on Monday, echoing last month’s transparently false and racist line of attack by Newt Gingrich.
The journey she is embarking on can be lonely. To be the first is to be alone.
She won’t get there by herself, of course. She has family and friends and advisors standing by. Millions of supporters already love her: voters and volunteers who are ready to back her, donors who in the first 24 hours of her candidacy broke fundraising records with an $81–million deluge.
But that weight of being a “first” is hers alone to carry. Just as Clinton had to fight for voters to even imagine a woman as a potential president, conservatives have been quick to call Harris a “DEI candidate,” because it’s a euphemism for the word they wish they could say.
Biden, who knows her well and who well knows the high stakes, is telling us she can handle it. The campaign, the job, the weight.
Throughout an impressive career, Harris has always been under a microscope as the first like her to have many of those jobs. She exceeded expectations because she took her mother’s instructions seriously: Don’t just be the first person like yourself to hold this job; make sure you aren’t the last.
Harris is familiar with ridiculous and baseless insults (“uneducated and uneducable”) and the equally insulting low expectations (“Can she win against Trump?”). She’s heard two decades’ worth of similar voices on her road to making history, and she never let them slow her down.
That’s not to suggest the next few weeks should be some sort of coronation for her. Harris must still answer the same questions regarding the economy and the border and decisions of the administration that Biden would be answering. She also has to communicate a vision for the future — one that speaks to young voters who care about climate change and affordable housing. Reproductive rights are a major concern. The next president should lead the nation on regulating artificial intelligence. What are we going to do about affordable child care? And making sure this aging nation is prepared for the rising cost of elder care?
The weight on the president is huge. Impossibly huge.
And Harris would be carrying an extra load of responsibility, that no man or white person would. We won’t necessarily see it. She won’t talk about it nor get credit for it. Not that it matters. She proved long ago she can handle it all.
Politics
Trump lists accomplishments, says ‘Radical Left Scum’ are ‘failing badly’ in Christmas message
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President Donald Trump used his Christmas Eve Truth Social post to tout his administration’s accomplishments and to bash those on the left whom he accused of trying to “destroy” the U.S.
“Merry Christmas to all, including the radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country, but are failing badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We no longer have open borders, men in women’s sports, transgender for everyone, or weak law enforcement. What we do have is a record stock market and 401K’s, lowest crime numbers in decades, no inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected.”
“Tariffs have given us trillions of dollars in growth and prosperity, and the strongest national security we have ever had. We are respected again, perhaps like never before. God Bless America!!!,” the president added.
In the first year of Trump’s second term, the administration launched a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, introduced controversial tariffs, worked to cut DEI from government programs and took steps toward fulfilling other campaign promises.
TRUMP TAKES NORAD SANTA CALLS WITH CHILDREN, PRAISES ‘CLEAN, BEAUTIFUL COAL’ AND ‘HIGH IQ’ PERSON
President Donald Trump calls children as he participates in tracking Santa Claus’ movements with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort on Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. This is the 70th year that NORAD has publicly tracked Santa’s sleigh on its global rounds. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it had arrested 17,500 criminal illegal immigrants since Trump signed the Laken Riley Act in January 2025. In a separate DHS announcement, the department unveiled the “2025 Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens,” saying that 70% of all ICE arrests are of illegal immigrants “convicted or charged with a crime in the U.S.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on the results of the Laken Riley Act that “President Trump has empowered us to arrest and remove the millions of violent criminal illegal aliens unleashed on the United States by the previous administration. Now, these criminals will face justice and be removed from our country.”
Trump’s Christmas Truth Social post on his administration’s accomplishments was also backed up by recent economic data. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its initial estimate of the third-quarter GDP, which showed the economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the three-month period including July, August and September.
President Donald Trump pumps his fist at Christmas Eve dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
OPINION: MELANIA TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS IS A SHINING BEACON OF AMERICA
“Compared to the second quarter, the acceleration in real GDP in the third quarter reflected a smaller decrease in investment, an acceleration in consumer spending, and upturns in exports and government spending. Imports decreased less in the third quarter,” the BEA said.
While the president issued a cutting Christmas Eve statement on Truth Social, his official Christmas Day message was softer and more focused on the meaning of the holiday and the season.
In the statement, which was released by the White House on Thursday, Trump and first lady Melania Trump relayed their warm wishes to Americans while emphasizing the religious significance of Christmas.
The Trump administration launched a new website celebrating Christmas and the federal government’s contributions to the U.S. stretching back decades. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
MELANIA TRUMP GIVES UPLIFTING MESSAGE ABOUT SANTA TO YOUNG KIDS AT HOSPITAL
“The First Lady and I send our warmest wishes to all Americans as we share in the joy of Christmas Day and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the message reads.
Trump went on to recount the biblical story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, calling it “the perfect expression of God’s boundless love and His desire to be close to His people.” The president then tied the story to the founding principles of the U.S.
“For nearly 250 years, the principles of faith, family, and freedom have remained at the center of our way of life. As President, I will never waver in defending the fundamental values that make America the greatest country in the history of the world—and we will always remain one Nation under God.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in calls to U.S. service members, on Christmas Eve, from the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 24, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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The president also paid homage to U.S. servicemembers who are overseas and are unable to be with their families for the holiday. Trump thanked them for their service and sacrifice and their dedication to protecting Americans.
“We are grateful for their devotion, and we keep them and their loved ones close in our hearts.”
Trump ended his official message with a prayer for peace in the U.S. and across the globe, extending Christmas wishes to Americans and the world.
“During the Christmas season, we pray for an outpouring of God’s abiding love, divine mercy, and everlasting peace upon our country and the entire world,” he said.. “To every American, and to those celebrating around the globe, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!”
Politics
The battle for control of Warner Bros.: A timeline of key developments
Netflix and Paramount are locked in an epic tug-of-war for HBO and Warner Bros. — the historic film factory behind Batman, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, “Casablanca” and “The Matrix.”
Warner Bros. Discovery awarded the prize to Netflix, prompting Paramount to mount a hostile takeover bid valued at $108 billion for all of the Warner assets, which also include CNN, TBS, HGTV and TLC. The Larry Ellison-backed media company, run by his son David Ellison, has asked Warner shareholders to sell their shares to Paramount.
Warner Bros.’ sale has become the industry’s game of thrones.
The streaming king, Netflix, hopes to buy a chunk of the company — HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros. film and TV studios and the 110-acre lot in Burbank — through its $82.7-billion deal. Not included are Warner’s basic cable channels, which are set to be spun off into a separate, publicly-traded company called Discovery Global.
Both deals would fundamentally reorder Hollywood and raise antitrust concerns. Netflix would boast more than 400 million subscribers worldwide, furthering its market dominance. And Paramount’s takeover would combine two major film studios and two leading news organizations, CNN and CBS News, under Ellison family control.
Here’s a look at how we got here:
Politics
Nearly 20 states sue HHS over declaration to restrict gender transition treatment for minors
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A group of 19 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a declaration that aims to restrict gender transition treatment for minors.
The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and its inspector general comes after the declaration issued last week described treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender surgeries as unsafe and ineffective for children experiencing gender dysphoria.
The declaration also warned doctors they could be excluded from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if they provide these treatments to minors.
The move seeks to build on President Donald Trump’s executive order in January calling on HHS to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.”
HHS UNLEASHES SWEEPING CRACKDOWN ON CHILD ‘SEX-REJECTING PROCEDURES,’ THREATENS HOSPITAL, MEDICAID FUNDING
The lawsuit was filed against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and its inspector general. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
“We are taking six decisive actions guided by gold standard science and the week one executive order from President Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation,” Kennedy said during a press conference last week.
HHS has also proposed new rules designed to further block gender transition treatment for minors, although the lawsuit does not address the rules, which have yet to be finalized.
The states’ lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Eugene, Oregon, argues that the declaration is inaccurate and unlawful and urges the court to prevent it from being enforced.
“Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary health care because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the lawsuit, said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims the declaration attempts to pressure providers into ending gender transition treatment for young people and circumvent legal requirements for policy changes. The complaint said federal law requires the public be given notice and an opportunity to comment before substantively amending health policy and that neither of these were done before the declaration was released.
HHS’ move seeks to build on President Donald Trump’s executive order in January calling on HHS to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.” (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The declaration based its conclusions on a peer-reviewed report that the department conducted earlier this year that called for more reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender transition treatment for minors with gender dysphoria.
The report raised questions about standards for the treatment of transgender children issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and brought concerns that youths may be too young to give consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility.
Major medical groups and physicians who treat transgender children have criticized the report as inaccurate.
HHS also announced last week two proposed federal rules — one to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that offer gender transition treatment to children and another to block federal Medicaid money from being used for these procedures.
HOUSE APPROVES MTG-SPONSORED BILL TO CRIMINALIZE GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS
New York Attorney General Letitia James led the lawsuit against the Trump administration. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The proposals have not yet been made final and are not legally binding because they must go through a lengthy rulemaking process and public comment before they can be enforced.
Several major medical providers have already pulled back on gender transition treatment for youths since Trump returned to office, even those in Democrat-led states where the procedures are legal under state law.
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Medicaid programs in just under half of states currently cover gender transition treatment. At least 27 states have adopted laws restricting or banning the treatment, and the Supreme Court’s decision this year upholding Tennessee’s ban likely means other state laws will remain in place.
Democrat attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington state and Washington, D.C., as well as Pennsylvania’s Democrat governor, joined James in the lawsuit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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