Harris takes on Trump: "Unconstitutional demands" and tariffs in sight

Berliner Zeitung Harris takes on Trump: "Unconstitutional demands" and tariffs in sight Katerina Alexandridi • 22 hours • 2 minutes read Former US Vice President Kamala Harris during her speech at the "Emerge" gala in San Francisco. In her first major speech since her election defeat in November, former Vice President Kamala Harris sharply criticized the "reckless" tariffs introduced by Donald Trump. She accused him of "unconstitutional demands" and spoke of deliberate attempts by Washington to silence political opponents through a climate of fear. "President Trump, his administration, and their allies are banking on the fact that fear is contagious," Harris said in San Francisco. "They believe that if they scare some people, it will scare others away. But they overlook the fact that not only fear is contagious—courage is too." She also called Trump's tariffs "the greatest man-made economic crisis of the modern presidency" and a "clear invitation to recession." On Tuesday, the former presidential candidate's husband, Doug Emhoff, said he was fired from the board of the Washington Holocaust Museum by Trump. Emhoff accused Trump of political reasons for his dismissal. The former Second Gentleman, who is Jewish, was appointed to the museum's board by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. In her 15-minute speech, Harris did not mention her husband's dismissal. Instead, she accused the Trump administration of attempting "to detain and disappear American citizens or other persons without due process" – a reference to recent reports of deportations of US citizens, including children. Harris called on Democrats to organize, run for political office, and resist the Republican president. "Instead of the administration standing up for America's highest ideals," she said, "we are seeing a complete abandonment of those very ideals." There is speculation that the former vice president could run for governor of California in 2026, succeeding Democrat Gavin Newsom.