Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has adopted a withdrawn lifestyle, stepping back from public life after losing the 2024 election to US President Donald Trump.
Democrats are increasingly raising concerns about Harris enjoying a private life in an $8 million (£5.9 million) Malibu mansion overlooking the ocean, while maintaining a taxpayer-funded security detail. This is despite her pledges that she would not 'go quietly into the night' following her electoral defeat.
Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, purchased their Malibu home in a secluded enclave. The property was originally built in 1979 and sits on three-quarters of an acre. The listing describes the main living area as 'bathed in natural light, featuring high wood-beamed ceilings, a built-in speaker system, and a gas fireplace.'
The status of the couple's 3,500-square-foot home in Brentwood, which Emhoff bought in 2012 before meeting Harris, remains unclear.
Taxpayer-Funded Security Detail
Following Trump's decision to revoke Harris's Secret Service protection, state and local officials stepped in to fill the gap. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol now provide her security detail.
'Pulling police officers from protecting everyday Angelenos to protect a failed presidential candidate who also happens to be a multi-millionaire, with multiple homes and who can easily afford to pay for her own security, is nuts,' reportedly stated the Los Angeles Police Protective League board of directors in September.
According to Quiver Quantitative, Harris's net worth exceeds $5.5 million (£4 million). Her roles in local and state office in California earned her two pensions. Forbes reports that when Harris was sworn in as a Senator, she had up to $500,000 (£372,135) in savings, along with a similar amount in investments and her pensions.
Most of Harris's net worth, however, comes from her marriage to Emhoff, who earned approximately $1 million (£744,270) annually as an entertainment lawyer. Since the couple started filing joint taxes, they have reported over $1 million in income each year. When Harris became Vice President, Emhoff left his legal practice to join Georgetown University's law faculty, which reduced his income to around $200,000 (£148,854) per year.
Keeping Out of the Public Eye
Critics argue that taxpayers are covering the costs as Harris retreats from public life.
'She's not someone who likes being out and about. She doesn't really want to engage with people in a way that isn't already orchestrated,' said a Democratic consultant to a media outlet. 'But her absence has been really notable. And to some people, very offensive.'
In January 2025, Harris moved back to Los Angeles amid ongoing wildfires across the region, just a few miles from her Brentwood home. Although the couple made a few appearances related to fire recovery efforts, Harris has sought a level of privacy she hadn't experienced since her days as San Francisco district attorney in 2002.
In February 2025, she signed with Creative Artists Agency and launched a new website for the 'Office of Kamala D. Harris,' honouring her vice presidency. Many Democrats have described this move as more Hollywood than grassroots politics. Even some progressives in LA expressed frustration, viewing her carefully curated departure from the broader city as a calculated step away from her previous political base.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
