Former Vice President Kamala Harris was back in the spotlight for the first time since her loss to President Donald Trump, taking the stage in San Francisco on Wednesday night to deliver a speech ripping the president.
Harris gave the keynote address for the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge, a Democratic organization that recruits women to run for office. After a quick acknowledgement of the leftist organization at the beginning of her speech, Harris quickly moved to taking shots at the Trump administration.
“The American people deserve leaders who make their lives better and make our country stronger, but sadly, we have seen quite the opposite over these past few months,” Harris said. “Now I know tonight’s event happens to coincide with the 100 days after the inauguration, and I’ll leave it to others to give a full accounting of what has happened so far, but I will say this, instead of an administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals.”
We got stern, serious Kamala now. pic.twitter.com/BmgeCGD2ZF
— ALX
(@alx) May 1, 2025
Harris argued that Trump is “counting on the notion that fear can be contagious … that if they make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others.” The former vice president then accused Trump of creating the “greatest manmade economic crisis in modern presidential history,” referring to the president’s massive tariff rollout, which she described as “absolute chaos.”
She praised leftist politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who have traveled the country to hold rallies bashing Trump’s agenda. She also commended Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who traveled to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom the Trump administration deported on suspicion of being an MS-13 gang member.
Kamala Harris: I’m really inspired by Democrat leaders like Chris Van Hollen, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost AOC, and others. pic.twitter.com/OlEBpiJ5hw
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 1, 2025
Later in the speech, Harris pointed to a video of elephants at the San Diego Zoo that were captured on video forming a circle of protection during a recent earthquake.
“So that scene has been on my mind,” Harris said, breaking into a laugh. “So in the video, here those elephants were. And as soon as they felt the earth shaking beneath their feet, they cut in a circle and stood next to each other to protect the most vulnerable. Think about it. What a powerful metaphor.”
2024 loser Kamala Harris tells Democrats to find inspiration in the San Diego Zoo elephants that circled up in shoulder-to-shoulder after an earthquake:
“Think about it. What a powerful metaphor.” pic.twitter.com/Q4QAoU8FQJ
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 1, 2025
Harris did not address speculation that she is preparing to jump into the 2026 California governor race to replace Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. Earlier this month, she hinted at a future political run, saying she is “not going anywhere.”
