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US former Vice President Kamala Harris
US former Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her first major address since leaving office at the 56th annual NAACP Image Awards, where she took an indirect swipe at President Donald Trump and Elon Musk while discussing the nation's current state.
In her acceptance speech, Harris expressed concern about the country's direction while encouraging optimism amidst her party's internal debates and Trump's return to power.
Without directly naming President Trump or Elon Musk, Harris made pointed remarks about leadership. "While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the Oval Office nor by the wealthiest among us," said Harris, 60, attired in an all-black pantsuit.
"The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
Harris became the first Democratic presidential candidate since John Kerry to lose the popular vote. She fell behind Trump, 78, by approximately 2.3 million votes and failed to secure any swing states. She lost the election, but she’ll always have the NAACP Chairman’s Award.
Since Trump's return to the White House, she has maintained a notably low public presence.
The Democratic party now faces demoralisation and division, struggling to counter the president's swift implementation of executive orders, appointments and Oval Office directives.
At the NAACP Image Awards, Harris urged her supporters to maintain their resolve.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask, 'What do we do now?'" Harris observed.
"But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize. We mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Her speech followed Trump's energetic appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, DC, where he celebrated his victory over Harris.
"I haven't said that name in a while, Kamala," Trump mused at CPAC during a riff about her task of tackling the root causes of the border crisis. "I bet nobody knows her last name."
