
Kamala Harris takes 25 taxpayer-funded bodyguards to ritzy NYC bar after trashing Trump over economy
Kamala Harris and her husband were protected by a phalanx of two dozen Secret Service agents and cops as they dined at one of New York's priciest bars.
The former vice president was spotted at The Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday night, ahead of a rumored appearance at the Met Gala tonight.
Harris emerged from the renowned celebrity hotspot with her husband Doug Emhoff about 9.30pm and stepped straight into a waiting bulletproof car outside.
The couple were happy to mingle with other diners, many of whom booked their tables a month in advance, and took photos with some of them.
Several Secret Service agents accompanied them as they dined for about two hours, with many more waiting outside to secure the entrance.
All up, there were at least 25 Secret Service bodyguards plus NYPD officers, and a motorcade of four bulletproof cars and three additional SUVs.
Harris, as a former VP, and her family are entitled to substantial federally funded protection, and were also given a police escort courtesy of NYC taxpayers.
Harris laid into Donald Trump about his handling of the economy, particularly his tariffs, at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco on April 30.
'It's an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power and leave everyone to fend for themselves,' she said.
'All while abandoning allies and retreating from the world.'
Harris said the tariffs were 'clearly inviting a recession' and called them 'greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history'.
Her comments were among the first since her election defeat and subsequent end of her vice presidential term on January 21, as she mulls whether to run for Governor of California or have a second tilt at the White House in 2028.
The Polo Bar appears to be a favorite spot for the former second couple when they are in NYC, as they also dined there on February 15.
Six Secret Service agents were stationed near the couple that night as they again took photos with diners including Queer Eye star Carson Kressley.
Harris rubbed shoulders with Hollywood figures Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, and NFL legend Peyton Manning, who all appeared on the various Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary specials that weekend.
The Polo Bar opened 10 years ago as part of Ralph Lauren's foray into hospitality, and is still extremely popular with celebrities and almost impossible to get into.
Getting a reservation is one of the most difficult feats in NYC's dining scene, unless you are rich or famous like Harris.
Bookings are only made over the phone, starting at 10am a month to the day before you want to attend, and almost always already full.
Diners reported spending an hour or two on hold, only to be told there were no bookings left. Those lucky enough to get through were asked very specific questions, and often still denied.
Other ways to get a table include using a service offered by high-end credit cards and hotel concierge, knowing someone who works there, or simply buying it off another customer.
Some diners claimed they managed to get last-minute reservations after a cancelation.
The Polo Club is polarizing among those who managed to get in, with many saying the food is wildly overpriced and the bar overall not worth the extreme effort.
Cocktails will set you back $24 to $55 each, martinis are $35 to $38, and even a bottle of beer is $16.
Bar snacks range from $18 for pigs in blankets to $140 for caviar and potatoes.
Dinner meals include a $35 burger, a 16oz New York stripe steak for $78, soups for $21, and $16 for a side of mashed potatoes.
The cheapest bottle of wine is a 2022 rose from Puglia in Italy for $75, and the most expensive costs more than a car.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Democrats wrestle with 'geriatric problem'
For 33 years, Congressman Jim Clyburn's "world famous fish fry" has been a must-attend event for members of the Democratic Party hoping to make a splash on the national stage. But after a blistering electoral defeat and with an aging old guard, some are wondering if it's time for the party to make some new was just over five years ago here in South Carolina, that the then-79-year-old Clyburn, a Democratic kingmaker in the state, gave the then-77-year-old Joe Biden his highly coveted presidential endorsement. His past picks – like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton – have all won the party's nomination, if not the White endorsement of Biden is widely regarded as helping the former vice-president win South Carolina's primary and turn the tide in his struggling campaign. Since then, Democrats have had to re-evaluate their choice for the aging Biden – who grudgingly abandoned his re-election bid last year amid a rising din of questions about his his successor, Vice-President Kamala Harris, lost to Donald Trump, many wondered if he had hung on too long. Then last month, Biden announced he had stage 4 prostate cancer, a condition with a grim prognosis that would have presented a national crisis if he had managed to win cancer diagnosis raises fresh questions about his health in White HouseWhat we know about Biden's cancer diagnosesAudio emerges of Biden's 'poor memory' interview with investigator Now many within the party, including some of those dining on fried fish and white bread at Clyburn's gathering last Friday, are wondering if it's time the party found new blood - especially after three congressional Democrats died in office this year alone. The losses meant that the Republicans' slim majority in Congress was bolstered, allowing them to pass Trump's controversial spending bill by a single vote."We have a geriatric problem," said Ashley McIntyre Stewart, specifically noting the recent House spending bill. "We need to get the younger community involved so that we don't have the Republicans railroad us."According to a survey last month by Axios, more than half of the 30 Democrats in the House over age 75 are planning to seek re-election next year, including Clyburn, whose term would end when he is 88 if he veteran politician scoffed at the idea of retiring. "I will respond to the voters of South Carolina," he told media who were at the fish fry. "I've been with them all month, and not a single one of them said to me that they think I'm too old. Every one of them said to me, please don't leave."He also bristled at the second-guessing over whether Biden should have stepped aside earlier, saying that his children and grandchildren don't care about the former president's choice."They're going to ask me what did you do to make sure I got a better life," he said. "That's all I'm concentrating on."Democratic voters have tended to accept the risks that come with electing older politicians to office, prioritising governing experience over youth and vitality. In 2024, only two Democratic incumbents in Congress lost their party's nomination, and both – Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York – were relative newcomers under the age of have their own crop of elderly politicians too, including the 78 year-old president. But 2020's electoral battering and Biden's health revelations have caused some Godwin, a Democrat from Chicago, was visiting South Carolina and stopped by the fish fry to see Clyburn and hear from the two Democratic governors, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Wes Moore of Maryland, invited to speak. He said he respected the wisdom of elderly politicians like Clyburn and Biden, but his party needed a youth movement."We need the activists," he said. "We need the energy from a variety of different backgrounds - not just age - to really come put our hands together and work toward getting some real elections won."There are signs some young upstarts are taking heed: Saikat Chakrabarti, the 39-year-old former chief of staff to Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is challenging former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her San Francisco Congressional primary. Jake Rakov, 37, is going after the seat of his former boss, 15-term incumbent Rep Brad Sherman, 70. Voters are craving "new ideas and new energy to get Congress to actually work again," he told a local news outlet, the Bay Area Reporter, in April. At the fish fry, winning elections after last year's disappointment and the challenges of Trump's aggressive second term agenda were the focus of speeches from two Democratic governors, who are also potential 2028 presidential the 61-year-old who was his party's vice-presidential nominee last year, may not exactly be a fresh face some in the party are looking for, although he received a warm reception from the South Carolina audience. Maryland's Moore – a 46-year-old military veteran who is only the third black governor in US history – generated the most animated response, as he spoke about the "baton" being in his generation's hands."We're about to send a message the entire country is going to hear," he said. "This is our time. This is our moment. We will not shirk, we will not flinch, we will not blink. We will win, just as those who came before us did."Democrats may have won in the past, but last year's defeat was particularly stinging – and Trump's first months back in power have put the party in a deep hole, with years' worth of work needed to rebuild Democrat-backed government programmes and replenish worker rolls that have been slashed by the Republicans."I gave Donald Trump credit for this," Waltz said. "He moves so quickly and so fast for bad things, we better be ready to move quickly and fast for good things."Waltz said that Democrats needed to have "tough conversations" about how to win back the voters who flipped to Trump last a few years, South Carolina will once again be a pivotal battleground in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. The kind of candidate who comes out on top will be determined in part by the conversations – including how to balance age and experience with youth and energy - happening at this fish fry and in other Democratic gatherings across the country in the days ahead.


The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
George Clooney admits ‘everyone worries about' being targeted by Trump
George Clooney, actor and prominent Democrat donor, said 'everybody' worries about being targeted by President Donald Trump 's administration, but added that won't stop him from standing up for what he believes in. Since Trump was elected in November under a campaign which promised retribution, some of the president's loudest critics have put down their megaphone s out of fear he may come after them next. 'Sure, everybody worries about it,' Clooney told CNN's Anderson Cooper when he was asked about it. 'But you know, if you spend your life worrying about things, then you won't do things.' 'I want to be able to look at my kids in the eye and say where we stood and what we did at certain times in history, and I have no problem with that,' he said. Although Clooney is a lifelong Democrat, he broke from the party last summer to pen an op-ed urging former President Joe Biden to drop out of the race. He subsequently supported former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has occasionally launched verbal attacks on Clooney, calling him a 'second-rate movie star' and a 'backstabber.' But the president has not directed his administration to open an investigation into Clooney or initiate any formal process targeting him. That doesn't mean celebrities are safe, or feel safe, from Trump's wrath. Robert DeNiro, another actor and prominent Democrat donor, told AFP that Hollywood companies fear Trump could hurt their business. "They have big businesses, they have to worry about the wrath of Trump, and that's where they have to make a decision: do I succumb to that or do I say no?" DeNiro said. Throughout show business, the anti-Trump rhetoric seems to have been dramatically turned down compared to the level it reached when Trump was elected in 2016. Even and claim to support him all along, after he won the election. So far, the president has only dipped his toe into regulating Hollywood, threatening and rescinding tariffs on foreign-made films and appointing Jon Voight and others as special ambassadors to 'fix' Hollywood. But having gone after law firms, his political opponents, media organizations, a Democrat fundraising platform, and universities, there's no telling where the president will direct his retribution next.


South Wales Guardian
14 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Antrim Gaels urge Secretary of State to honour promises around Casement Park
It comes as long-awaited plans for the redevelopment of the now derelict ground remain mired in uncertainty. Plans for a 34,000-capacity venue face a major funding gap of around £150 million. Stormont has committed £62.5 million to Casement, while the Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million and the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million. There has been speculation the UK government will announce next week whether it will plug the remaining funding gap for the estimated £270 million cost. Ahead of that, representatives of South Antrim GAA, including young people from clubs across the county, travelled to the Northern Ireland Office base at Erskine House in Belfast city centre to hand a letter in to Mr Benn. The letter notes that next week will mark the 12th anniversary of the last GAA game to be played at Casement Park. They said while investment in the Windsor Park football stadium and rugby ground at Ravenhill promised in 2011 were delivered, Casement is still waiting. The letter also refers to further disappointment last year when hopes of rebuilding Casement as a venue for the 2028 Euros were dashed. It reminded Mr Benn of an assurance by former secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris that funding would be found to rebuild Casement. 'That promise was as empty as the stands at Casement Park today, and the Euros will now be played elsewhere,' they said. 'The GAA, the Irish Government and the Executive have each made formal commitments to this project, all of which remain firmly in place. 'We are now calling on you as Secretary of State, to honour the commitment given to our members that Casement Park will be built, and that the money will be found.' The letter continued: 'Casement Park will leave a legacy that transforms Gaelic Games in Antrim and Ulster, creating unparalleled sporting and economic opportunities, and enhancing community relations setting the tone for reconciliation that will be remembered for generations to come. 'It's time to stop the dithering and delay. It's time to live up to all the promises and commitments. It's time to finally build Casement.'