Topline
In her first major public speech since leaving office, former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as she accused him of triggering economic turmoil with his “reckless” tariffs and warned that his actions could also cause a constitutional crisis.
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco, … More
AFP via Getty ImagesKey Facts
Speaking at an event in San Francisco for Emerge, which helps Democratic women run for office, Harris said, “Instead of…working to advance America’s highest ideals,” the Trump administration in its first 100 days has perpetuated a “wholesale abandonment of those ideals.”
She described Trump’s agenda as a “narrow, self-serving vision of America where they they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power, and leave everyone to fend for themselves.”
Harris described Trump’s sweeping import tariffs as “reckless” and said they, “as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession.”
The former vice president said these levies would “hurt workers and families by raising the cost of everyday essentials, devastate their retirement accounts…and paralyze American businesses…forcing them to lay off people.”
Harris warned that the system of “checks and balances” in the U.S. government has begun to “buckle,” and they may ultimately collapse if Congress or the courts fail to do their part or if Trump chooses to defy them and trigger a “constitutional crisis.”
The former vice president warned such a crisis would “eventually impact everyone, because it would mean that the rules that protect our fundamental rights and freedoms…will no longer matter.”
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What Did Harris Say About Democrats Standing Up To Trump?
Harris praised several Democratic leaders “across the spectrum, including congressional leaders like Corey Booker, Chris Van Hollen, Chris Murphy, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, AOC and Bernie Sanders, all who in different ways have been speaking with moral clarity about this.” She also urged unity in her party, saying: “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.”
Crucial Quote
“President Trump and his administration and their allies 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. But what they’re overlooking, what they have overlooked, is that fear isn’t the only thing that’s contagious. Courage is contagious,” Harris said.
What We Don’t Know
Harris did not address her own political future in her speech amid speculation that she may be gearing up for a California Gubernatorial run next year. The former vice president only jokingly alluded to questions about her future saying: “Everybody’s asking me, ‘Well, what’ve you been thinking about these days?’” But she did not elaborate further. The state’s term limits prevent incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom from running again next year, and so far, a few prominent contenders have announced their entry into the race, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter. If she chooses to run for Governor, Harris’ wide name recognition and established fundraising network could make her the favorite to win the heavily blue state.
Further Reading
Harris Returns to Political Life, Warning of a Constitutional Crisis (New York Times)
Kamala Harris reemerges for an ‘I told you so’ moment (San Francisco Chronicle)
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