Kamala Harris calls Trump an economic failure in first speech since losing election

Former Vice President Kamala Harris showed up in San Francisco on Wednesday night and called Donald Trump a complete disaster. She told a packed room of Democratic donors that Trump’s economic mess and disregard for the Constitution were dragging the country backward.

It was Kamala’s first full-on political speech since losing to Trump in 2024, and she didn’t waste a second. “It’s an agenda,” she said, “a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power and leave everyone to fend for themselves.”

Kamala delivered the speech at the Palace Hotel, speaking for Emerge America, a group that helps Democratic women run for office. She used the platform to call out Trump’s record, saying his reckless tariff decisions had created what she described as the “greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.”

Kamala said the direct result has been rising costs for basic goods, tanking retirement savings, and a shaky job market. She said the country is being pushed toward “a recession” because of the same chaotic economic ideas that failed the first time.

Harris slams Trump’s policies and calls for resistance

Kamala’s speech came during Trump’s second run through the White House. She didn’t give any new information about her own future in politics, but she made it clear she’s still active. Her delivery was tight, focused, and aimed directly at Trump’s first 100 days back in office. 

Kamala accused him of defying federal court orders and gutting government programs that help people survive. This wasn’t subtle. She said Trump is retreating from US alliances while tearing down the systems meant to hold power accountable.

It was her second public event in California in just a few weeks. She’s reportedly weighing whether to run for California governor next year or wait and try again for the presidency in 2028. But the speech had no mention of her next move. It stuck entirely to attacking Trump and backing the people in her party who, in her words, are “speaking with moral clarity.”

She told the crowd that America’s checks and balances were “starting to buckle” under the weight of Trump’s actions. Kamala warned that the country is entering a full-blown constitutional crisis, and said Democrats need to stay united.

Kamala pushed her “courage is contagious” theme again, this time saying that fear may be contagious, but so is standing up to it. “They are counting on the notion that if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others,” Kamala said. “What they’ve overlooked is that fear isn’t the only thing that’s contagious. Courage is contagious.”

Speech raises stakes for governor’s race as party watches

Kamala gave credit to Democrats like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cory Booker, and Chris Van Hollen for what they’ve done lately to push back against Trump. She mentioned Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez for their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour that’s been pulling in big progressive crowds.

Booker got a nod for his long Senate speech, and Van Hollen for helping get Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US. She said these Democrats were keeping the fight alive with “moral clarity about this moment.”

She also didn’t forget to tie herself back to Emerge America. Kamala helped inspire the group when she beat a sitting San Francisco DA back in 2003. Several leaders she’s mentored came through Emerge, like Lateefah Simon, Eleni Kounalakis, and London Breed. She reminded the crowd of that connection while using the moment to push her bigger point: this fight isn’t over, and Democrats need to stay ready.

Kamala reportedly got a massive standing ovation in the room. People in her hometown were on their feet. But even with that hype, nobody knows what she’s planning. She gave herself until late summer to decide whether she’ll go for the governor’s seat or maybe hold off and wait for the national stage again.

People close to her allegedly think she’s leaning toward the governor’s race, especially given how often she’s been showing up around California lately. Still, not everybody’s thrilled about it. A POLITICO–UC Berkeley Citrin Center poll found that a lot of insiders have a pretty cold reaction to the idea of her running.

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