Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday night made her first major speech since leaving office, assailing her 2024 presidential rival Donald Trump and urging the crowd at the event in San Francisco to “lock it in” for the fight ahead.
In a 16-minute speech at a gala organized by Emerge, an organization that supports Democratic women who run for political office, Harris criticized Trump on some of the central issues of his presidency so far: his tariffs plan, his haphazard immigration policy, his attacks on the judiciary and his threats to universities.
“Let us not be duped into thinking everything is chaos. I know it may feel that way, but understand what we are, in fact, witnessing is a high-velocity event where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making,” she said.
Harris praised Democratic lawmakers who have taken prominent action against the administration in recent months, lauding their “moral clarity” in the face of Trump’s onslaught. But she offered little else besides her criticism of Trump and her remarks of encouragement to challenge him.
The Democratic Party has struggled to find unity in how they respond to Trump, and potential 2028 contenders have shown contrasting approaches in how they may be staking out their ground. In her first major appearance in months, Harris — who is seen as a potential contender for California governor in 2026 and for president in 2028 — presented no suggestion of a vision for the Democratic Party’s future nor shed any light on her own. “I am not here tonight to offer all the answers, but I am here to say this: You are not alone, and we are all in this together,” she said. “And, straight talk, things are probably going to get worse before they get better, but we are ready for it.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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