Donald Trump could be setting up one of his most trusted aides for a second round with Kamala Harris.

After her flop election performance in November, many have wondered what’s next for the former vice president. 

Some have suggested she could return to politics in her home state of California, where Governor Gavin Newsom is term limited in 2026. 

But Trump may yet again be an impediment to her achieving power, as one of his key allies says he’ll run if she does.

Richard Grenell, who was a former ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, is currently acting as an envoy for special missions in the president’s administration and is playing a key role in managing its response to the California wildfires.

Additionally, Grenell was involved in Trump’s aggressive move to take control of the Kennedy Center, where he served as interim president until the commander-in-chief assumed the position himself.

Having previously contemplated entering the recall election of Gavin Newsom in 2021, Grenell has stated that he will oppose Kamala Harris should she decide to run for the highest office in his home state.

‘If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot, and I wouldn’t say no,’ he said Friday.

Donald Trump could be setting up one of his most trusted aides for a second round with Kamala Harris

Trump himself may yet again be an impediment to Harris achieving power, as one of his key allies says he’ll run if she does

Grenell was speaking from Munich, where much of the Trump administration has set up shop for an early foreign policy trip. 

Harris has not yet declared that she will run but she has moved back to California after Trump’s inauguration.

Internal polling shared with the Hollywood Reporter last week shows the former vice president running away with the race if she ran, even as billionaire Rick Caruso is eying the contest.

In 2022, Caruso lost a close race for mayor of Los Angeles to Rep. Karen Bass, despite spending $104 million in his campaign, most of it from his own funds.

The government mismanagement of the Los Angeles wildfires in January has damaged the political reputation of Bass and other state Democrats, giving Caruso a possible opening in the heavy Democratic state.

‘If Kamala gets in the race, it will be hers to lose,’ a political consultant monitoring the former vice president told THR. ‘She may not have performed on the national level, but if you look at her track record in California, she’s done extremely well.’

Harris lost her presidential race in 2024 to Trump but she remains popular in California despite some voters in the state shifting to the right. 

It’s unclear whether Harris wants to run for governor, as going back to California and running for state-wide office could be seen as a step back in her political career after serving as vice president.

Richard Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term, is also serving as an envoy for special missions in the president’s administration and helping lead its response to the California wildfires

Grenell, who considered running in the recall election of Gavin Newsom in 2021 says he’ll be there to say no to Harris should she try to run for the top job in his home state

The path is not unheard of. 

Former Vice President Richard Nixon lost his presidential race in 1960 against John F. Kennedy and ran for governor of California two years later. His campaign for California governor failed, but he ran for president again in 1968 and won.

Democratic insiders fully expect Harris to run for president again in 2028, even though her 106 day presidential campaign came up short against Trump after she replaced Biden.

Harris is already leading the race for the Democratic nomination, largely thanks to her name recognition from the last campaign.

A McLaughlin poll published in January showed Harris leading with 33 percent over second place potential rival Pete Buttigieg at nine percent and Gov. Gavin Newsom in third place with seven percent. 

After leaving the vice presidency in January, Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff immediately went to Los Angeles and visited firefighters and served food to wildfire evacuees.

Grenell’s California political experience includes working as a spokesman for Susan Golding, the former mayor of San Diego and as a consultant for a San Diego City Council campaign.