Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday pointed out that she warned voters about what would happen under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“There were many things we knew were gonna happen,” said Harris, who ran a hurried campaign against Trump in 2024 after then-President Biden dropped out of the race.
“I’m not gonna say ‘I told you so,’” she added, to a crowd that then erupted in applause and cheers.
Harris was speaking at the Leading Women Defined Summit in Dana Point, California, and HuffPost obtained a video of her remarks. The summit, founded by former CEO of BET Debra Lee, aims to empower women of color.
“This is a very different time than in 2016,” Harris said. “A lot has changed.” And that this convening is happening at this moment.
Harris then described what has changed as a result of Trump taking office: progress and policies have been “rolled back,” effective policies have been denied, and a sense of fear has been created in people throughout the country.
“We are seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats,” she continued.
Less than 100 days into his second term, Trump has rescinded nearly 80 of Biden’s past executive orders, called for the end of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, approved the layoffs of thousands of federal employees and announced wide-ranging global tariffs that have tanked the stock market, among a litany of other things.
In her speech on Thursday, Harris also acknowledged that both fear and courage are contagious, adding that the room was full of courageous women, according to BET.
“There’s great power in this room. And yes, the world is watching,” Harris said. “But more importantly, there are people counting on us — to be kind, to be fierce, and to be together.” (HuffPost)