Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a memorial ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. Carter's body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until a funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington on January 9.
San Francisco, California – In her most significant public appearance since leaving office, former Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a fiery speech Wednesday night sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration, defending the Democratic Party’s future, and stoking speculation about her political plans — including a possible run for governor of California.
At the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America, a group dedicated to training Democratic women to run for office, Harris described Trump’s leadership as a “wholesale abandonment” of American ideals. She warned supporters not to underestimate the urgency of the political moment.
“Instead of an administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the swift implementation of an agenda decades in the making,” Harris said, referencing what she described as Republican efforts to dismantle public education, privatize government services, and benefit the wealthy with tax cuts.
The event at San Francisco’s iconic Palace Hotel was a homecoming for Harris, who launched her political career in the Bay Area. With the ballroom filled with longtime supporters and party insiders, Harris struck a balance between optimism and alarm. “They are counting on fear to keep us silent,” she said. “But courage is contagious.”
This was Harris’s first time publicly and directly addressingg the Trump administration since conceding her loss in the last presidential election. Trump, in return, mocked Harris at a campaign rally Tuesday, sarcastically calling her a “great border czar” and dismissing her influence—a jab Harris acknowledged obliquely by reaffirming her supporters’ resilience.
Though she stopped short of confirming her next political move, Harris did little to quell speculation. As California Governor Gavin Newsom nears the end of his term, Harris — a former California attorney general and U.S. senator — is widely seen as a top-tier potential candidate to succeed him. She also continues to fundraise actively through the Harris Victory Fund, which reported $4.5 million on hand at the end of March.
“We are all in this together,” Harris told the crowd, “and the one check, the one balance, the one power that must not fail is the voice of the people.”
Still, she offered no clear answers about her future, emphasizing instead the need for unity and action ahead of the 2026 midterms. “We must organize and stop Trump’s agenda while electing Democrats everywhere,” she wrote in recent fundraising messages.
Supporters like San Francisco healthcare executive Lisa Gotbhi said Harris’ reemergence felt like a turning point. “She’s a voice we need,” Gotbhi said. “Let’s get back in the fight.”
Whether Harris sets her sights on the governor’s mansion or takes another shot at the White House, one thing is clear: she’s back and not staying quiet.
