Kamala Harris calls Trump tariffs ‘greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history’

Former Vice President Kamala Harris mercilessly lashed President Donald Trump in her first extensive remarks since leaving Washington, D.C. in January.

Harris spoke at the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America, an organization that supports Democratic women for public office, which partly grew from her San Francisco district attorney campaign in the early 2000s.

“I know tonight’s event happens to coincide with the 100 days after the inauguration and I’ll leave it to others to give a full accounting of what has happened so far,” Harris said at the event at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

“But I will say this, instead of an administration working to advance America’s highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals,” she noted.

Harris took aim at Trump’s shrinking of the federal workforce and his tariffs, which, “as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession,” she underscored.

She said Trump’s tariffs are creating the “greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history” which harms “workers and families by raising the cost of everyday essentials.”

Harris championed protesters who have stood up to the administration’s actions, “saying it is not okay to detain and disappear American citizens or anyone without due process.”

She also praised judges who have upheld the “rule of law in the face of those who would jail them” – referring to Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, who was taken into custody by the FBI last week after she was accused of helping two immigrants avoid federal agents in her courthouse.

As for the road ahead, Harris said the country is currently witnessing a “high velocity event” to slash public education, shrink government, then privatize its services and give tax breaks to the wealthy.

“We are living in a moment when the checks and balances upon which we have historically relied have begun to buckle. 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,” Harris said.

Harris warned of the worst and the best.:“Things are probably going to get worse before they get better,” she cautioned, “but we are ready for it. We are not going to scatter. We are going to stand together.”

The vice president’s comments followed Trump’s celebration of 100 days in office at a Michigan rally on Tuesday. During the event, Trump mockingly referred to Harris as a “great candidate” and “great border czar.”

Harris, on the other hand, has barely mentioned Trump by name publicly in 2025 and did not name him once during her remarks Wednesday, even though he overshadowed all of her warnings.

Earlier this month, she spoke at the Leading Women Defined Summit in Dana Point, California, reflecting on the outcome of the 2024 election.

“I’m not here to say I told you so,” said Harris, laughing. “I swear, I wasn’t going to say that.”

At the time, she encouraged Democrats to stand up to the “unconstitutional threats” facing the country.

There has been speculation that Harris might launch another campaign for office, specifically the California governorship, after her failed presidential bid.

Despite the outcome of the national election, Harris is still viewed as a pivotal figure in the Democratic Party, and state voters will be electing Governor Gavin Newsom’s replacement in 2026.

The Harris Victory Fund had a reported $4.5 million campaign war chest at the end of March.

The former vice president didn’t acknowledge or refute the rumors of a state race on Wednesday, but did add: “Running for office is as important as ever.”