Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has begun a criticism of President Donald Trump’s administration, accusing the president and his allies of carrying out a decades-old conservative strategy to alter America via fear, division, and unrestrained power.
Harris delivered her first major statement since her party’s setback in the November election on Wednesday at an Emerge event in San Francisco. Emerge is a political organisation dedicated to educating Democratic women for public office.
“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 told the audience.
She contended that Trump’s chaotic and confrontational start to his presidency is not coincidental, but rather a deliberate endeavour to serve a small group of elites.
“An agenda to slash public education. An agenda to shrink government and then privatise its services. All while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest,” she said.
Harris accused the Trump administration of creating a dangerous political climate.
She said, “A narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth-tellers, favour loyalists, cash in on their power, and leave everyone to fend for themselves.”
Since assuming office, Trump’s presidency has been defined by a rush of executive orders addressing immigration, foreign aid, and even basic restrictions like showerhead pressure.
While his supporters have applauded the quick reforms, detractors claim the administration is ignoring democratic norms and institutions.
Recent opinion polls reveal growing public dissatisfaction with Trump’s policies, particularly his shifting attitude on taxes and international trade, which has produced economic instability.
Harris, who has mainly kept a low profile since leaving Washington in January, used the forum to express concern about the administration’s efforts to silence opposition voices.
“President Trump, his administration, and their allies are counting on the notion that fear can be contagious. They are counting on the notion that, if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others,” she said.
However, she struck a positive tone, stating that resistance is developing across the country.
“Fear isn’t the only thing that’s contagious. Courage is contagious. The courage of all these Americans inspires me,” Harris told the crowd.
Though she has not confirmed any future political ambitions, Harris is widely rumoured to be exploring a run for governor of California in 2026 or perhaps a presidential bid in 2028.
Her powerful speech hints that she is planning to return to frontline politics and establish herself as a key figure in the struggle against Trump-era conservatism.
