ANKARA/ISTANBUL 

Former US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Monday labeled US President Donald Trump as a “tyrant.”

In her first interview with MSNBC since leaving office, Harris said Trump’s behavior resembled that of a “tyrant” rather than an elected leader.

"Democracy sustains capitalism. Capitalism thrives in a democracy. And right now, we are dealing with – as I called him at my speech on the Ellipse – a tyrant. We used to compare the strength of our democracy to communist dictators. That's what we're dealing with right now under Donald Trump. And these titans of industry are not speaking up," Harris said.  

Criticizes 'feckless' US companies

Harris also accused the American private sector of remaining silent in the face of Trump.

"I worked closely with the private sector over many years, and I always believed that if push came to shove, those titans of industry would be guardrails for our democracy, for the importance of sustaining democratic institutions," she said.

"And one by one by one, they have been silent. They have been, you know, yes, I use the word feckless."

Stressing that the business world must stand up for democracy, Harris added: "But at some point, they’ve got to stand up for the sake of the people who rely on all of these institutions to have integrity and to at some point be the guardrails against a tyrant who is using the federal government to execute his whim and fancy because of a fragile ego.”