The White House responded indifferently Thursday morning after former Vice President Kamala Harris blasted President Donald Trump in her first major speech since she left office.
“I think I speak for everyone at the White House. We encourage Kamala Harris to continue going out and do speaking engagements,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said before ending a press conference.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung went a step further and called Harris “a failed loser desperately clinging to relevance as she spirals into the political abyss” on X.
The White House’s comments came a day after Harris’ speech Wednesday evening at a ballroom at the Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco.
Supporters of Harris’ failed bid to win the White House in 2024 said they saw reasons to be encouraged after the former vice president’s speech before Emerge America, an organization training female Democratic candidates.
“A lot of people have been feeling down, they’ve been feeling like what’s the future for women,” said Aimee Allison with She the People.
“Our rights. Our power. Our leadership. Her very presence here is telling us it’s not over yet,” Allison told CBS News Bay Area.
Harris gave no hint on whether she plans to run for California governor in 2026 or again for president in 2028 as various Democratic candidates for governor listened to her from their front row seats. One gubernatorial candidate, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, accompanied Harris to the stage at the gala for Emerge America, an organization training female Democratic candidates.
Harris used her speech before a crowd of about 500 people to criticize Trump, accusing him of an unconstitutional grab for power and warning of a “constitutional crisis” if the legislative and judicial branches fail to keep the Republican president in check. She accused Trump of defying court orders and trying to bully people into submission.
And Harris condemned the president’s tariffs, warning they would bring a recession.
Harris praised U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, for his 25-hour Senate speech criticizing the Trump administration and other prominent Democrats who have opposed the president.
“Please always remember this country is ours,” Harris told her audience. “It doesn’t belong to whoever is in the White House. It belongs to you.”
Harris said Trump and other Republicans are counting on creating a chilling effect by making people afraid, but noted, “Courage is contagious.”
