Former Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver a pointed message on the future of the U.S. economy, calling for what she describes as a “revival of the American dream” while assigning blame to both Democrats and Republicans for policies she argues have failed working Americans.
According to excerpts of her planned remarks for the Arkansas Democratic Party’s annual Fisher Shackelford Dinner, Harris will take aim at longstanding economic assumptions embraced across party lines. While distancing Democrats from trickle-down economics popularized under Ronald Reagan, she is expected to argue that many in her own party nonetheless accepted its underlying logic.
“Democrats never bought into trickle-down,” Harris plans to say. “But plenty of Democrats did buy into the flawed assumptions behind it.”
Her speech is expected to highlight what she sees as a systemic failure to deliver for working people. Harris will argue that faith in market-driven growth led policymakers to believe prosperity at the top would eventually benefit everyone. Instead, she contends, many Americans found that even sustained hard work no longer guaranteed economic security.
“Over time, for so many, the American Dream has all but turned into an American myth,” she is expected to say.
The remarks come as speculation intensifies about Harris’ political future. Earlier this month, she told civil rights leader Al Sharpton that she is considering another presidential run in 2028. Harris previously sought the presidency in 2020 and later served as vice president under Joe Biden.
“Listen, I might. I’m thinking about it,” Harris said, adding that her time in office gave her a clear understanding of the presidency’s demands.
In her Saturday speech, Harris is also expected to urge Democrats to look beyond opposition to Donald Trump and begin crafting a governing agenda for a post-Trump political landscape. Her proposals will include investments in public education, tax reforms aimed at rewarding work over wealth, and new regulatory “guardrails” for social media and artificial intelligence.
As Harris positions herself in the evolving Democratic field, several prominent figures are also seen as potential 2028 contenders, including governors Gavin Newsom, J. B. Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, Wes Moore, and Josh Shapiro, along with several senators and House members.
Her speech signals an effort not just to critique the past, but to sketch a new economic narrative—one she hopes will resonate with voters seeking a more tangible version of the American dream.
