Kamala Harris Returns With Full-Throated Denunciation of Trump
The former vice president will deliver her first major address since leaving office.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Reuters
Kamala Harris is set to step off the sidelines and go after Donald Trump on Wednesday in her first major address since leaving office.
The former vice president’s return to public life, the day after Trump marks 100 days in office, will be at a San Francisco event encouraging women to run for office.
Her address there will be the first in a series of public appearances where she takes on the Trump administration.
The former vice president is also set to appear at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in New York City next week.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has made several public appearances including at the Leading Women Defined Summit on April 3, but her remarks on Wednesday will be her first major speech since leaving office.
Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
During her speech, Harris will give a pointed critique of the current administration, according to a source familiar with its contents. But it is not clear whether she will specifically go after the president by name.
“She will reflect on the enduring promise of America and issue a call to action in the face of reckless economic policies and the urgent and escalating crisis facing America’s institutions and global leadership,” the source said.
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Since leaving office, Harris has made several public appearances, but she has avoided addressing her vanquisher. She most recently spoke briefly at a conference in Dana Point, California, at the beginning of April.
The vice president has been upholding the tradition of letting the next administration “get its sea-legs,” but she has been keenly aware of what is happening, the source said.
Moving forward, the former vice president is expected to call it as she sees it, the source added.
It comes amid speculation over whether Harris will run for Governor of California in 2026. The New York Times has reported that Harris had given herself until the end of the summer to make a decision.
During her speech, Harris will also praise people for speaking out against Trump—a major change of tone which comes after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for widespread resistance by Democrats in a speech on Sunday.
“She will expand upon her theme of ‘courage is contagious’ and celebrate the many Americans exhibiting courage and remaining vocal and vigilant,” the source said.
Emerge is the largest network of elected women officials and candidates in the U.S. and grew out of Harris’ experience running for District Attorney of San Francisco in 2003.
Her speech comes as Trump’s approval rating is plummeting as he approaches 100 days back in office. At 41 percent, it is the lowest approval of any president in at least decades, according to CNN.
During the 2024 campaign, the president attacked Harris with nasty personal attacks where he went after her intelligence, calling her “low IQ” and “lazy.”
He has spent the first 100 days of his second term blaming the Biden administration for challenges he has faced from persistent inflation to illegal immigration.
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