Kamala Harris returns to spotlight in major speech slamming Trump

Kamala Harris retreat into relative obscurity ended Wednesday when she strode onstage at a glitzy hotel in downtown San Francisco for her first major speech since she left office At the event a gala dinner for a women-focused political organization with which she shares close ties the former Vice President and Oakland native was met with such furious applause that she had to ask her private audience of hundreds to sit down Speaking with the aid of a teleprompter to the crowd of Democratic women politicos among them the newly-elected Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and current Lieutenant Gov Eleni Kounalakis Harris slammed what she called the Trump administration s wholesale abandonment of American values and the steep tariffs that she had opposed in her breakneck three-month bid for president last year that cost billion Straight talk things are supposedly going to get worse before they get better she stated to groans in the audience But we are ready for it We are not going to scatter We are going to stand together But Trump s critics are countless in deep-blue California which is so far suing the federal leadership at nearly twice the clip of the Republican s first term More than the substance of her speech Harris high-profile appearance landed her back in the spotlight and continued to speculation about her political future Early polling has suggested that Harris would lead the crowded field to replace Gov Gavin Newsom in That field includes Kounalakis who leads the pack in fundraising so far with million cash on hand Other prominent Democrats who have officially broadcasted their bid include former U S Healthcare Secretary and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra former state Sen Toni Atkins former state controller Betty Yee and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Selected political analysts including Sonoma State University political science professor David McCuan think that Harris will run for president again in That s another contest likely to see a slew of Democratic candidates including Newsom himself a longtime ally of Harris who has for years telegraphed his aspirations for the Oval Office In an interview McCuan mentioned the timing was right for Harris reemergence as Republicans in Congress drill down to pass their legislative agenda and Democrats strategize how to claw back to power in the years ahead She now reemerges at this time to be aggressive to be strong to push the envelope and get back on the screen of American politics while Donald Trump is directing the chaos and uncertainty McCuan declared SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA APRIL Former U S Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a keynote address during the Emerge th Anniversary Gala at the Palace Hotel on April in San Francisco California Kamala Harris delivered her first society speech since leaving office in January Photo by Justin Sullivan Getty Images Harris didn t hint at her political future in her remarks However she has continued to raise funds at a breakneck pace and holds million in a joint committee that could be used for the national party or a future campaign of her own Onstage Harris focused mostly on the first days of Trump s second term which the administration marked by placing placards on the White House lawn that show who they noted are newly-deported violent criminals An agenda to slash citizens mentoring An agenda to shrink leadership And then privatize its services All while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest among us Harris disclosed of Trump s mission By the way an agenda that is not lowering costs Not making life more affordable And not what they promised She went on to slam Trump s tariffs that as I predicted are clearly inviting a recession Harris mentioned Harris attacks on the Republican administration mirror a shift in focus to pocketbook issues among California Democrats that have mainly been the domain of the political right in up-to-date years such as cutting the cost of staples like electricity groceries and gasoline Nationally anxiety about inflation helped fuel Trump s triumph in November but various economists expect his tariffs to accelerate inflation again presenting a attainable liability with voters for Republicans The former Vice President picked the anniversary gala of a closely-associated political organization in San Francisco for her return to the spotlight The organization Emerge America sprouted in part from her first thriving campaign in for San Francisco district attorney The group has helped elect thousands of alums to office nationally In the Bay Area they include U S Rep Lateefah Simon of Oakland and State Sen Aisha Wahab Prior to Wednesday Harris has rarely made splashy appearances in population since vacating the White House in January Aside from a limited outings to show backing for her adopted home of Los Angeles after the deadly firestorm that month she made her first essential comments at a Southern California conference for Black women in April In that surprise appearance she harangued Trump for fighting against progress in his first and second terms but didn t call the President out by name the Los Angeles Times broadcasted She also vowed to stay proceeding in politics Harris left her audience with a call to action in San Francisco on Wednesday night For inspiration Harris disclosed she d been pondering a viral video of elephants hunkering together during an earthquake in San Diego earlier this month The elephants Harris noted instantly circled around their young to protect them She drew a comparison to American people and institutions trying to weather this political moment That scene has been on my mind Everyone s asking me what I ve been thinking about these days so Harris commented to laughter Conservatives swiftly ridiculed Harris online for the comparison Oh dear It s even worse than we feared Steve Hilton a Fox News contributor and Republican candidate for governor posted on X But in the ballroom of dyed-in-the-wool Democrats Harris departed the stage to another barrage of applause Think about it she revealed before she turned to leave What a powerful metaphor