3 Key Takeaways from Kamala Harris’ Speech Condemning Trump

It was a rare political speech for Harris following her loss to Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

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Admin | May 08, 2025

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to the political spotlight Wednesday night in a speech that largely targeted President Donald Trump and his agenda during the first 100 days of his second term.

It was a rare political speech for Harris following her loss to Trump in the 2024 presidential election after former President Joe Biden decided not to seek reelection, and it comes as Harris weighs her political options going forward.

But the main focus of the roughly 15-minute speech wasn’t Harris’ ambiguous future. It was Trump.

“A vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making: 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 said.
Harris Puts Focus on Trump Tariffs, Economy
Harris hit Trump on one of the major topics of the past few weeks but also the 2024 presidential election: the economy.

Trump’s 100 days in office were marked by uncertainty over the economy as the president seeks to rewrite the rules of the global trading system with a sweeping array of tariffs on many countries and the products they export to the U.S.

Trump’s tariff policies, which he has been defensive of in recent days, have roiled the financial markets.

“Some people are describing what's been happening in recent months as absolute chaos,” Harris said. “And, of course, I understand why. It's certainly true of those tariffs – tariffs that, as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession.”

She called it the “greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.”Harris Offers Democrats Tempered Optimism
While acknowledging frustrations among Democrats at Trump’s actions over the last 100 days, Harris tried to encourage the party to stay unified, telling them to “lock it in.”

“They are counting on the notion that if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others,” Harris said. “But what they have overlooked is that fear is not the only thing that’s contagious. Courage is contagious.”

Still, she touched on some darker notes during the speech, saying that the nation is at risk of a constitutional crisis.

“That is a crisis that will eventually impact everyone,” she said. “Because it would mean that the rules that protect our fundamental rights and freedoms, that ensure each of us has a say in how our government works, will no longer matter.”

She urged Democrats to be prepared for things to get worse before they get better.
Here are key takeaways from Harris’ speech at a Democratic women’s group gala: