Kamala Harris delivered her sharpest critique yet of President Trump’s second term during a speech to a packed room of Democratic donors in San Francisco, accusing him of wrecking the economy and undermining democracy. Her remarks came as she reemerges into the national spotlight, prompting speculation about her political future.
In a city where her political journey began more than two decades ago, Harris took direct aim at Trump’s early-term economic record, calling his erratic tariff policy the “greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.” She blamed his decisions for driving up the cost of living, shrinking retirement savings, and stalling job growth. “These tariffs are clearly inviting a recession,” she warned.
The crowd, gathered at the Palace Hotel for an event hosted by the Emerge America program that supports Democratic women, listened as Harris painted Trump’s first 100 days back in office as a dangerous overreach of power wrapped in economic mismanagement. Though her tone was biting, her speech followed a familiar political cadence criticizing Trump’s failures while offering broad encouragement for party unity, rather than unveiling any bold new policy direction or revealing her own political plans.
Harris has kept a relatively quiet public profile since leaving Washington, adding fuel to speculation over whether she’s planning a gubernatorial run in California or considering another presidential bid in 2028. Her recent reappearances including an April speech to Black women leaders in Orange County, a visit to the NAACP Image Awards, and even attending Easter church services in Inglewood have all drawn attention, with observers watching closely for any signal of her next move.
In her Wednesday speech, she praised a host of Democratic figures who’ve made waves recently. She commended Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour energizing progressive voters, acknowledged Cory Booker’s lengthy Senate floor speech, and applauded Chris Van Hollen’s push to secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongfully deported legal resident. All of them, she said, were showing “moral clarity about this moment.”
Framing the stakes in urgent terms, Harris accused the president and Republican leadership of trying to weaponize fear to silence dissent. But, she added, fear isn’t the only thing that spreads. “Courage is contagious,” she said, echoing a refrain from her earlier speeches and urging Democrats to stand together and push back against what she characterized as an unconstitutional power grab by the White House.