Kamala Harris addressed the atmosphere of fear prevalent in the United States during the Trump presidency, subtly criticizing voters in a recent speech.
After her defeat to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris, like many unsuccessful candidates, retreated from the public eye.
Returning to power, Donald Trump has signaled his intention to depart from the policies of former Democratic president Joe Biden.
His recent decision to impose significant tariffs on various countries has left many allies concerned about the repercussions.
Harris alluded to this apprehension in her address at the Leading Women Defined Summit in California on April 3.
In her speech, she emphasized the importance of bravery in the face of fear and cautioned about potential challenges under Trump’s leadership.
She stated: “When one person, when a few stand with the courage, that is the courage exhibited by the leaders in this room every day.
“To have the courage to say I feel fear, the courage to say what is happening is wrong, the courage to say that there is a way that we must chart to get through this.
“Understanding our power in the democracy that we still have if we hold on to it.
“Courage is contagious.”
Harris criticized Trump’s administration for their governance approach.
She said: “We are seeing organizations stay quiet, we are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats, and these are the things that we are witnessing each day in these last few months in our country.
“It understandably creates a great sense of fear because you know there are many things we knew would happen, many things…
“I’m not here to say I told you so.”
Her comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience.
Representative Jamie Raskin discussed Harris’ remarks and the growing discontent with Trump’s administration during an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.
He echoed Harris’ views and responded to criticism from voters that Democrats had been inactive following their election loss.
He said: “I was telling everybody back when they were complaining about ‘where is the Democratic leadership…it takes a while to fully absorb the shock of these events.
“We are talking about a full-blown attempt at an authoritarian takeover of our country and a purge of federal workers and we are being hit on all fronts.
“But now everyone is in a fighting mood.”
Raskin also mentioned plans for an upcoming protest in Washington DC.