Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to the public political arena on Wednesday, delivering a critical speech berating President Donald Trump but also urging Democrats to find inspiration from elephants at the San Diego Zoo.
The failed presidential candidate took the stage at Emerge 20th anniversary gala at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco to deliver the keynote speech that began late in the evening.
‘It’s good to be home!’ Harris laughed as she took the stage.
But she soon got to work, criticizing Trump for his agenda, particularly his tariffs.
‘Instead of the administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing a wholesale abandonment of those ideals,’ she said.
Harris singled out Trump for leveling ‘reckless tariffs’ on foreign countries, accusing him of creating ‘the biggest manmade economic crisis in modern presidential history’ asserting that tariffs ‘hurt workers and families’ and raised costs for Americans.
Trump’s agenda, she said, was ‘not lowering costs’ and ‘not making life more affordable’ and ‘not what they promised.’
She noted that the Trump administration was counting on the fact that fear was ‘contagious.’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala
Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a keynote address during the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala at the Palace Hotel
‘They are counting on the notion that if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others, but what they have overlooked is that fear is not the only thing that is contagious. Courage is contagious,’ she said.
She also urged Democrats to find courage in the video of the San Diego Zoo elephants who responded to a recent earthquake by circling around each other.
‘As soon as they felt the earth shaking beneath their feet, they got in a circle and stood next to each other to protect the most vulnerable,’ she said. ‘Think about it. What a powerful metaphor.’
Harris cautioned Democrats from dismissing Trump’s efforts as ‘chaos.’
‘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 urged Americans to stand against the administration with courage.
United States President Donald J Trump makes remarks during a cabinet meeting
Former Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala
‘What we are experiencing right now is exactly what they envisioned for America, right now we are living in their vision for America, but this is not a vision that American’s want.’
She praised people who protested the president’s agenda, including his deportation orders.
‘It is not okay to detain and disappear American citizens or anyone without due process,’ she said.
Harris only spoke for about 15 minutes, but it was the crowning moment for the event that helped raise money for female political candidates.
The event featured female candidate Mallory McMorrow, who is running of the Michigan Senate and Abigail Spanberger who is running for Governor of Virginia.
The major fundraiser for the organization cost up to $50,000 for a sponsor ticket, but also charged $25 for fans to watch a livestream of the failed presidential candidate.
Harris return to the public stage raises questions about the next step of her political career as she weighs whether or not she wants to run for Governor of California in 2026.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is term limited from running again and is already eying the 2028 presidential race.
Democrats are also watching Harris to see if she wants to run again for president in 2028, as she feels she did not have enough time to be fully competitive in her failed 2024 campaign.
