01 May Kamala Harris Calls for Allegiance to American Ideals, Courage in Face of Trump Administration

Former Vice President Kamala Harris addresses the crowd at the 20th Anniversary of Emerge gala in San Francisco on Wednesday. Harris criticized the Trump administration and called for Americans to hold on to American ideals such as courage, the rule of law and equality. (Screen grab from Emerge livestream via Bay City News)

By Alise Maripuu
Bay City News

In her first major speech since last year’s election loss, former Vice President Kamala Harris rebuked President Donald Trump on Wednesday and urged the public to keep speaking out against the actions in his administration.

Looking back on Trump’s policies as he entered 100 days in office this week, Harris believes that Trump is deserting America’s fundamental values.

“Instead of an administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals,” Harris said.

Harris was the keynote speaker for Emerge’s 20th anniversary gala at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Emerge, which was borne out of Harris’ run for San Francisco District Attorney in 2002, is a program that mentors Democratic women who want to enter office nationwide.

While the gala included several other women politicians who are Emerge members, Harris’ appearance drew the most anticipation and excitement in the crowded hotel ballroom. Audience members leapt out of their seats and cheered as Emerge President and CEO A’shanti Gholar introduced Harris.

Harris’ speech aimed to inspire courage and resistance against the Trump administration while also denouncing Trump’s policies.

“Courage is contagious,” she said. “The courage of Americans who are banding together in the face of the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.”

At the beginning of April, Trump announced an executive order to place steep tariffs on many countries. Stock markets subsequently plunged in part due to concerns about the economic impact of the tariffs.

Harris said the tariffs are “clearly inviting a recession.”

She also mentioned other actions such as deportations without due process, invoking the Alien Enemies Act, shrinking funding to federal programs, and threats to Social Security.

She implied that Trump is being used to implement Project 2025, saying that his policies closely align with the far-right political initiative’s aim to reshape the government.

“What we are in fact witnessing is a high velocity event, where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making,” Harris said. “An agenda to slash public education. An agenda to shrink government and then privatize its services, all while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest among us.”

Harris urged her supporters to continue speaking out against Trump’s actions and not give into fear.

“Friends, please, let us not be duped into thinking everything is chaos,” she said. “Organizing is as important as ever. Mobilizing is as important as ever. Running for office is as important as ever.”

But she also mentioned the possibility of America entering a “constitutional crisis” if the democratic process of checks and balances fails.

“We are living in a moment when the checks and balances upon which we have historically relied have begun to buckle,” she said. “If Congress fails to do its part, or if the courts fail to do their part, or if both do their part but the president defies them anyway, well friends, that is called a constitutional crisis.”

Despite the mounting concerns that many Americans have about Trump’s actions and what policies lie ahead in the next several years, Harris is confident that continuous, mass mobilization of dissenters in unity against the current administration will help stand in Trump’s way.

“I am not here tonight to offer all the answers, but I am here to say this: You are not alone, and we are all in this together,” she said. “Things are probably going to get worse before they get better, but we are ready for it. We are not going to scatter.”

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