Harris accuses Trump of abandoning American ideals in first major speech since leaving office

Former Vice President Kamala Harris rebuked President Donald Trump in her first major speech since leaving office, accusing her former rival of setting off the “greatest man-made economic crisis” in modern history through his across-the-board tariffs, and warning that his conflicts with the courts were moving the nation toward a constitutional crisis.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris rebuked President Donald Trump in her first major speech since leaving office, accusing her former rival of setting off the “greatest man-made economic crisis” in modern history through his across-the-board tariffs, and warning that his conflicts with the courts were moving the nation toward a constitutional crisis. Harris spoke Wednesday evening at the Emerge Gala in San Francisco, benefitting an organization that supports women interested in entering politics. The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee marked the first 100 days of the second Trump administration during her address, saying that “instead of an administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals.” “And what we are also seeing in these last 14 weeks is Americans using their voice and showing their courage,” Harris added. The former vice president delivered a series of attacks on the administration, blaming Trump for the economic turbulence caused by the tariffs he has imposed on goods imported from major trading partners. Harris called Trump’s tariffs “reckless” and said, “as I predicted,” they are “clearly inviting a recession.” Harris said those import taxes will “hurt workers and families by raising the cost of everyday essentials, devastate their retirement accounts that people spent a lifetime paying into, and paralyze American businesses, large and small, forcing them to lay off people.”