Dumb and Dumber star Jeff Daniels said the country missed a historic opportunity by not electing former Vice President Kamala Harris as president in 2024, comparing her leadership potential to that of President Abraham Lincoln’s.
“I still think about Kamala, and how I think she would have been a good choice,” Daniels told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on her podcast, The Best People, released Monday. “I don’t care what they say, because she would have done what Lincoln did.”
Referencing Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Daniels suggested Harris would have built a bipartisan Cabinet — and even named her hypothetical Secretary of State as former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
“That’s what Lincoln did — surrounded himself with the people who would disagree with him,” Daniels said. “Not the people who would, you know, take a knee and go, ‘Yeah, more tariffs, sir, more.’”
During her 2024 campaign, Harris leaned into that very idea, often appearing with Cheney on the trail and pledging to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet. Cheney, one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal conservative critics, lost her Wyoming congressional seat after serving on the Jan. 6 committee.
Daniels, a longtime political commentator and supporter of former President Joe Biden, did not hold back in his broader criticism of the GOP.
“It’s the madness of King George, and just the deterioration of the Republican Party,” he said.
“When [Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)] started stacking the courts 25 years ago, I said it on your show once, they could see it coming — the new America that is diverse and treats everyone with equality and respect and dignity, you know, kind of like Jesus did,” the actor added.
The Hollywood star has often used his platform to speak out about politics. He endorsed Biden in 2020 and narrated a campaign ad aimed at Michigan voters. He also portrayed former FBI Director James Comey in Showtime’s political miniseries The Comey Rule, solidifying his role as a voice in political discourse.
DROPOUT: KAMALA HARRIS TEASES A RETURN TO POLITICS WITH CALIFORNIA AND THE WHITE HOUSE IN HER SIGHTS
Harris, who has largely remained out of the spotlight since her election defeat, briefly resurfaced Monday with a post on X marking the one-year anniversary of her campaign launch.
“One year ago today, I began my campaign for President of the United States,” she wrote. “Over the 107 days of our race, I had the opportunity and honor to travel our nation and meet with Americans who were fighting for a better future.… Whether you are attending a protest, calling your representatives, or building community, I want to say: Thank you. We are in this fight together.”