Kamala Harris made a rare public appearance Wednesday night, using her platform to sharply criticize President Trump — before unexpectedly pivoting to a story about elephants reacting to an earthquake.
Speaking at the Emerge 20th anniversary gala in San Francisco, the former vice president began by addressing the uncertain political climate. “A lot of folks are wondering what’s going to guide us through this moment. How are we all going to figure out how to chart the course,” Harris said. Then she added, “Please allow me, friends, to digress for a moment.”
She continued with a laugh, “Okay, it’s kind of dark in here, but I’m ask[ing] for a show of hands — who saw that video from a couple of weeks ago the one of the elephants at the San Diego Zoo during the earthquake. Google it if you’ve not seen it.”
Describing the animals’ reaction, Harris explained how they responded to the tremors. “After they felt the earth shaking beneath their feet,” she said, “the elephants in the zoo got in a circle and stood next to each other to protect the most vulnerable.”
“What a powerful metaphor,” she said. “Because we know those who try to incite fear are most effective when they divide and conquer, when they separate the herd, when they try to make everyone think they are alone.”
This unexpected aside came during an address in which Harris painted a bleak picture of the country under Trump’s leadership, coinciding with his 100th day in office during his second term.
Earlier in her remarks, she denounced Trump for economic turmoil she blamed on his policies. “The greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history,” she said, was the result of a “wholesale abandonment” of American principles and a dangerous flirtation with a constitutional breakdown.
“Americans across the political spectrum who are declaring that the president’s reckless tariffs hurt workers and families by raising the cost of everyday essentials, devastate the retirement accounts that people spent a lifetime paying into, and paralyze American businesses, large and small,” Harris said.
Breaking a months-long silence on Trump since her 2024 defeat, Harris went further, charging him with undermining democratic norms.
“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 … that is called a constitutional crisis,” she warned.
She concluded with a somber note of caution, stating that such a breakdown in government would touch every citizen, and that “the voice of the people” may be the only remedy left. “It will eventually impact everyone,” she said.
{Matzav.com}