Former Vice President Kamala Harris did not hold back in criticizing her former 2024 opponent, President Donald Trump, in her first extensive public remarks since leaving the White House.
Harris’ 16-minute speech at Emerge America’s 20th anniversary gala in San Francisco on Wednesday pushed back against Trump, criticizing his first 100 days in office. This has included constitutionally questionable actions like deporting undocumented immigrants (and children who are U.S. citizens) without due process, freezing or slashing federal funds already approved by Congress, closing federal offices and agencies, firing tens of thousands of federal employees, and tariff policies that have roiled the U.S. and global stock markets.
For Americans who feel that Trump’s first months in office have been chaotic and fearful, Harris said that’s exactly the point.
“[They] are counting on the notion that fear can be contagious. They are counting on the notion that, if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others,” said the former 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. “Let us not be duped into thinking everything is chaos.”
Harris told the audience of Democratic women that Trump’s agenda, much of which had been outlined in Project 2025 during last year’s election, is “decades in the making.”
She explained that Trump and the Republican Party’s agenda to eliminate the Department of Education, shrink the size and scope of the federal government and “privatize its services,” and give tax breaks to the “wealthiest among us” is “not what they promised” in the 2024 election.
“That is not lowering costs [and] not making life more affordable,” said Harris. The former vice president warned the country would be teetering toward a “constitutional crisis” if Trump’s seemingly bucking of the law continued.
“We are living in a moment when the checks and balances upon which we have historically relied have begun to buckle,” said Harris. “If Congress fails to do its part, or if the courts fail to do their part, or if both do their part, but the president defies them anyway…that is called a constitutional crisis, and that is a crisis that will eventually impact everyone.”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said that as communities across the country stand to suffer from the Trump administration’s actions, “all voices are important to speak out against what has taken place.” The civil rights leader said Harris’ voice is “as valuable as any voice in the political square.”
“Much of her campaign warned against what has taken place,” Johnson told theGrio. He said it was important for the public to hear the former vice president’s voice. “Not from a posture of I told you so,” he added, “but from a posture of leadership and understanding that we must continue to fight to slow down, if not stop, what is taking place.”
In her remarks, Harris sought to offer a message of hope, arguing that while many may feel fearful of what is happening under the Trump administration’s leadership, “Fear isn’t the only thing that’s contagious.”
“Courage is contagious,” she argued. “The courage of Americans who are banding together in the face of the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history…The courage of Americans who are rallying at Social Security offices to protect their hard-earned benefits. Of Americans who are speaking out to say, it’s not okay to violate court orders. Not okay to detain and disappear American citizens or anyone without due process.”
She continued, “Of universities that are defying unconstitutional demands that threaten the pursuit of truth and academic independence…The courage of all these Americans inspires me.”
Harris said she was also inspired by elected officials and activists on the ground who are sounding the alarm and protesting the actions of the Trump administration with “moral clarity,” including the “State of the People Tour” led by Angela Rye, Tamika Mallory and others, and members of Congress like Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders.
Harris recalled a viral video of a herd of elephants at the San Diego Zoo that stood next to each other during an earthquake, noting they came together in a circle to “protect the most vulnerable.” She argued the video was a poignant metaphor for the country.
“We know those who try to incite fear are most effective when they divide and conquer, when they separate the herd, when they try to make everyone think they are alone,” said Harris. “But in the face of crisis, the lesson is don’t scatter. The instinct has to be to immediately find and connect with each other and to know that the circle will be strong.”
While she warned that things will likely “get worse before they get better,” Harris said that contrary to what Trump and his allies may believe, the power does not rest with them.
“This country is ours. It doesn’t belong to whoever is in the White House,” she said. “It belongs to you. It belongs to us. It belongs to ‘We The People.’”
