In heated remarks about debate tactics and key issues that he said President Trump should consider, Peter Navarro aimed at Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris, highlighting her controversial record on marijuana enforcement and prison reform during her time as California’s attorney general. Navarro, offering what he called "unsolicited suggestions” for Trump’s debate preparation, emphasized that Harris’s actions while in office create a significant point of vulnerability that should be exploited during the upcoming debates.
One of Navarro’s sharpest criticisms focused on Harris’s past role in prosecuting marijuana-related offenses, juxtaposed with her more recent comments on legalization.
“This whole thing about what she did was prosecuting, I’m proud black men in San Francisco, and then light up a bong at night and laughed about it,” Navarro said, referencing Harris’s admission of smoking marijuana recreationally while holding a public office.
He pointed out the hypocrisy of her position, emphasizing the dissonance between her personal use and her strict enforcement of marijuana laws, which disproportionately affected minority communities.
Navarro displayed the frustration many feel toward Harris, particularly among African American men, for her failure to deliver on promises of criminal justice reform, especially around minor marijuana offenses. He explained that Harris’s and Biden’s pledges to release prisoners serving time for these offenses have largely gone unfulfilled, further undermining her credibility: “A lot of black men are not buying what she’s selling, particularly since both she and Biden promised to let free from prison everybody who was in for these minor marijuana charges.”
The former Trump advisor didn’t stop there. He connected this inconsistency with Harris’s broader record on prison labor and sentencing. Navarro criticized her for keeping people in prison beyond their sentences, using them as cheap labor for the state of California. "She kept people in prison beyond their sentences to use them as cheap labor,” Navarro charged, pointing out a scandal that has haunted Harris throughout her political career. This critique was part of his broader theme about holding Harris accountable for her actions, particularly in relation to her role in shaping California’s prison system.
Navarro also positioned these criticisms within a larger narrative about the upcoming debate strategy. He suggested that Trump should seize on these contradictions, describing Harris as someone who, while presenting herself as progressive on criminal justice reform, acted in ways that undermined the very communities she claims to champion. “That’s how you deliver a blow… hanging her with her own actions,” Navarro stated emphatically, urging a full-throated confrontation of Harris’s record during the debates.
The issue of marijuana legalization and Harris’s handling of it could resonate with voters—especially those who feel betrayed by her failure to follow through on her promises. By focusing on these inconsistencies, he argued, Trump could paint a picture of Harris as a politician who talks one way and acts another. "Kamala Harris’s record is full of contradictions, and they should be front and center in any debate with her,” Navarro concluded.