She argued that the president’s tariffs would lead to higher prices and ‘paralyze American businesses, large and small, forcing them to lay off people.’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris issued a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of his second term in the keynote speech at the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America on April 30.
Harris made the theme of her first public remarks since leaving office in January the president’s first 100 days, which coincided with Emerge America’s celebration this week.
She accused Trump of spurring a constitutional crisis by restructuring federal agencies and freezing funds without congressional approval, and by appearing to defy orders from the Supreme Court and a federal judge to facilitate the return of a Salvadoran national mistakenly deported to a foreign prison.
“American people deserve leaders who make their lives better and make our country stronger. But sadly, we have seen quite the opposite over these past few months,” Harris said.
Harris criticized Trump for imposing baseline and reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. trading partners earlier this year and for their impacts on retirement funds from the stock market drop that followed. She argued that the president’s tariffs would lead to higher prices and “paralyze American businesses, large and small, forcing them to lay off people, to stop hiring or to pause investment decisions.”
Trump said on April 30 that people should “be patient” after the U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2025, saying it would take time for his tariffs to work.
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The president was responding to data showing that the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) shrank at a 0.3 percent annual pace in the first quarter of 2025, or from January through March, representing the first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before U.S. tariffs came into effect.
During her speech, Harris also suggested Trump was “abandoning allies and retreating from the world” by imposing tariffs on all U.S. trading partners.
In one of the strongest critiques of the night, the former vice president argued that Trump was creating a constitutional crisis with his reshaping of the executive branch, which has seen the shuttering of a federal agency without congressional action, and his battles with the courts.
“We are living in a moment when the checks and balances upon which we have historically relied have begun to buckle,” Harris said. “And we here know that when the checks and balances ultimately collapse, if Congress fails to do its part, or if the courts fail to do their part—or if both do their part, but the president defies them anyway—well, friends, that is called a constitutional crisis.”
Possible Gubernatorial Run
Harris lost to Trump in November, and speculation has mounted over whether she may run for governor of California to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. She is the former state attorney general for California and represented the state in the Senate before then-candidate Joe Biden chose her to run with him in the 2020 presidential election.
Harris has also indicated that her career in politics is not over, but she brushed aside questions about a possible gubernatorial run when speaking with reporters in early February, during a visit to an area impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
On whether or not Harris should run for governor, half of respondents said she should and the other half said she should not.
Trump cited Biden revoking his access to intelligence briefings in 2021 as his reasoning behind pulling the security clearances.
Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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