Former Vice President Kamala Harris rebuked President Donald Trump in her first high-profile speech since leaving office at Emerge America’s 20th anniversary gala on April 29 in San Francisco. 

Harris’s speech came as Trump marked the 100th day of his second term earlier this week. Since taking office, Trump has signed sweeping executive orders repealing federal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, ordering mass deportations, and pardoning Jan. 6, 2021, rioters, among others.

To begin her speech, Harris harked back to similar talking points from her 2024 presidential campaign, noting that she has always believed in the “ideals of our nation.” These ideals, she said, are reflected in the Declaration of Independence, “that all are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights.”

“Here in our country, power ultimately lies not with the wealthy or well-connected, but with all of us, with We, the People,” Harris said. 

Harris recognized that the U.S. has “never fully lived up to these ideals,” and that the country deserves leaders who “make their lives better” and make the U.S. stronger. 

“But sadly, we have seen quite the opposite over these past few months,” Harris said. “Instead of an administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals.”

In response to the Trump administration, Harris said that the country is witnessing “Americans using their voice” and showing courage. 

“We all know President Trump and his administration and their allies are counting on the notion that fear can be contagious,” Harris said. “They are counting on the notion that if they make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others.”

 But fear is not the only thing that’s contagious, Harris added. 

“Courage is contagious,” she said. 

This courage, according to Harris, looks like Americans “banding together in the face of the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history,” referring to Trump’s tariffs and economic policy. 

“Courage … looks like Americans across the political spectrum who are declaring that the President’s reckless tariffs hurt workers and families by raising the cost of everyday essentials, [and] devastate the retirement accounts that people spent a lifetime paying into,” Harris said.

In addition to these anecdotes, Harris said courage also looks like “universities … defying unconstitutional demands that threaten the pursuit of truth and academic independence.”

Recently, Harvard University sued the Trump administration for cutting more than $2.2 billion in federal research funding on its Cambridge campus. Last week, Emerson President Jay Bernhardt was among more than 200 higher education leaders who signed a letter that said, “American institutions of higher learning are essential to American prosperity and serve as productive partners with government in promoting the common good.”

This courage also looks like “Americans who are speaking out to say it is not okay to violate court orders,” Harris continued, saying it is “not okay to detain and disappear American citizens or anyone without due process.” 

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland citizen, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. After the Trump administration claimed Garcia was a member of the gang MS-13, it was later confirmed that an MS-13 tattoo on Garcia’s back was photoshopped. In a phone interview on Tuesday, Trump said he could help return Garcia, but has yet to do so.

Courage, according to Harris, also looks like “judges uphold[ing] the rule of law in the face of those who would jail them,” referring to Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan being arrested last week for “obstructing” federal immigration agents. Dugan was temporarily suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 30. 

The American people are witnessing a “high-velocity event” where a “vessel” is being used to swiftly implement an agenda that has been “decade in the making,” according to Harris. 

“It’s an agenda, a narrow self-serving vision of America, where they punish truth-tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power, and leave everyone to fend for themselves, all while abandoning allies and retreating from the world,” Harris said. 

Harris added that the checks and balances upon which the U.S. has historically relied have “begun to buckle.” 

“When the checks and balances ultimately collapse … that is called a constitutional crisis, and that is a crisis that will eventually impact everyone,” Harris said. “It would mean that the rules that protect our fundamental rights and freedoms, that ensure each of us has a say about how our government works, will no longer matter.”

If these checks and balances buckle, the one check on power that must not fail, according to Harris, is “the voice of the people.”

“We know those who try to incite fear are most effective when they divide and conquer, when they separate the herd, [and] when they try to make everyone think they are alone,” Harris said. “But in the face of crisis, the lesson is, don’t scatter.”

Harris acknowledged that she does not have “all the answers,” but offered comfort to Americans that they are not alone. 

“We are all in this together and straight talk,” Harris continued. “Things are probably going to get worse before they get better.”

Harris said that organizing, mobilizing, and running for office are “as important as ever.” 

“Gear up for the hard work ahead, and please always remember this country is ours,” Harris said. “It doesn’t belong to whoever is in the White House. It belongs to you. It belongs to us. It belongs to We The People.”