Is Kamala's honeymoon over? Liberal media rips vice president over socialist policy that risks tanking the economy

Liberal media support for Kamala Harris appears to be waning as several outlets this week slammed her 'communist' plan to control food prices. 

Harris has enjoyed fawning coverage from left-leaning publications since her presidential campaign began on July 21 - despite repeatedly refusing interviews with the press.

But after announcing a new policy this week to tame inflation by introducing a federal ban on 'price gouging,' the Democrat appeared to send her honeymoon period to a crashing end.

An op-ed published by the Washington Post wrote: 'It's hard to exaggerate how bad Kamala Harris' price-gouging proposal is.' The outlet added it gave rise to criticisms the candidate - who has repeatedly modelled herself as a moderate Democrat - is a 'communist' after Trump sensationally labelled her 'Comrade Kamala.'

CNN anchor Abby Phillip also scoffed as she discussed the plan on-air Thursday while a Newsweek headline stated it was 'riddled with problems.'

Price gouging refers to when big corporations raise prices higher than what is considered reasonable or fair during times of high inflation or limited supply. 

It has been a hot political discussion since inflation started rising in 2021, rocketing to a high of 9.1 percent in June 2022 before cooling to an annual rate of 2.9 percent last month. It means food prices remain 21 percent higher than they were three years ago.

Harris this week insisted soaring costs at the grocery store are being exacerbated by greedy businesses as she laid out plans to crack down on 'excessive corporate profits.' 

It prompted a wave of criticism pointing out the plan would only lead to product shortages, black markets and hoarding. 

The Post ran an editorial titled: 'When your opponent calls you ‘communist,’ maybe don’t propose price controls?'

The title was in reference to comments made by Trump likening Harris' price gouging controls to a plan from 'the old Soviet Union.'

Post writer Catherine Rampell added the proposal lacked detail and failed to clarify how lawmakers would define 'excessive' profits. 

'It is, in all but name, a sweeping set of government-enforced price controls across the industry, not only food,' she wrote. 

'Supply and demand would no longer determine prices or profit levels. Far-of Washington bureaucrats would. The FTC [Federal Trade Commission] would be able to tell, say, a Kroger in Ohio the acceptable price it can charge for milk.' 

It marked an astonishing u-turn for the historically left-leaning Post whose coverage of the politician has been consistently positive and has included recent op-eds titled: 'The versatility of Kamala Harris' and 'Harris' expanding path to victory.'

But Rampell later rowed back on the criticism after hearing Harris' speech in North Carolina on Friday, writing on X: 'Her comments on prices were more toned down than campaign factsheet sent to reporters.'

The journalist said she 'supported' a more generic call to increase anti-trust protections. 

CNN was similarly skeptical of Harris' price-gouging plans. Anchor Abby Phillips used a segment on Thursday to read aloud criticisms by National Review author Noah Rothman which claimed the policy was designed to 'pander to the economically illiterate.'

She scoffed as she asked a panel of guests: 'Is this just a ploy? Because it sounds kind of like it.'

Phillips was rebuffed by Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson who insisted it was 'good policy.' 

Meanwhile Newsweek reporter Jesus Mesa noted Harris had failed 'to take into account that grocery stores tend to have razor-thin profit margins, typically between 1-3 percent far lower than other retail sectors.'

The coverage is no doubt a blow to Harris' campaign which critics say has benefited from unfairly positive headlines from left-leaning titles who have sought to reframe her as a more moderate candidate. 

Former Republican congressman Zach Wamp last week said the current Vice President was on a 'honeymoon period.'

He told Sky News Australia: 'The media is kind of helping repackage her as if she's not a progressive and not a real liberal. Nobody's really holding her to account.'

Harris has also been criticized for obsessively dodging media interviews. She has not given a single sit-down interview or formal press conference despite being three weeks into her presidential campaign. 

DailyMail.com reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.