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.
Former vice president Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff were spotted at The Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday night, and took photos with other diners
Harris and Emhoff emerged from the renowned celebrity hotspot about 9.30pm and stepped straight into a waiting bulletproof car outside
Getting a reservation is one of the most difficult feats in NYC’s dining scene, unless you are rich or famous like Harris
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 the ‘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 next year or have a second tilt at the White House in 2028.
Republican NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Silwa said it was ‘an outrage’ the incumbent Eric Adams gave Harris a police escort.
‘Secret Service is fine; NYPD, no. NYPD needs to protect the people, we don’t have enough of them,’ he told DailyMail.com.
‘She’s going to a bar to enjoy herself, and she’s got like an army of security paid for by us, not her.
‘We should get a rebate from her so we can actually use these cops to protect citizens on the subways and streets.’
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.
New Yorkers wait to cross the road while Harris’ huge motorcade sets off
Harris and Emhoff were accompanied by at least 25 Secret Service bodyguards plus NYPD officers, and a motorcade of four bulletproof cars and three additional SUVs
This was the second known time Harris and Emhoff visited The Polo Bar since her term as VP ended on January 21
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.
Harris speaks to one of 25 Secret Service agents that accompanied the couple
Emhoff with either a friend of the couple who dined with them, or a Secret Service agent trying to blend in
A Secret Service agent holds the door open for Harris and Emhoff as the leave, along with a woman who either dined with them or was a bodyguard blending in
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.
