Former US vice-president Kamala Harris has taken aim at President Donald Trump, saying his administration has created the "greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history."
In a speech at the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America, an organisation that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, Ms Harris gave her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January following her defeat to Mr Trump.
"Instead of an administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals," she said.
"President Trump and his administration and their allies are counting on the notion that fear can be contagious."
Her speech came the day after Mr Trump reached 100 days in office, to which she said "I will leave it to others to judge that."
The speech was delivered below luminous chandeliers in a gold-trimmed ballroom in the landmark Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
The former VP said she understands why people have been describing "what's been happening in recent months as absolute chaos," but pleaded to the public to not be "duped into thinking everything is chaos."
She said the Trump administration was hoping "if they make some people afraid it will have a chilling effect on others."
"What they are overlooking is that fear is not the only thing that's contagious, courage is contagious," she added as the crowd applauded.
In a speech of his own earlier this week, Mr Trump touted his accomplishments and dismissed concerns that he is acting like an authoritarian leader.
"I'm doing one thing: I'm making America great again," he said.
"We had a country that was failing, we have a country that was laughed at all over the world, we had a leader that was grossly incompetent.
"Our country's coming back, and we're respected again."
'Man-made economic crisis'
In the midst of what she described as "the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history", Ms Harris said Americans were banding together.
The sweeping tariffs that the Trump administration put into place last month were also on the agenda during her speech.
Ms Harris said the "president's reckless tariffs" have "hurt workers and families" and "paralysed American businesses large and small".
She added that she was inspired by the courage of the American people who were speaking out and fighting back against the actions of the current administration.
"Americans are speaking out to say it is not OK to violate court orders, saying it is not OK to detain and disappear American citizens or anyone without due process," she said.
She praised Democrats who have been especially prolific in criticising the president, name-dropping Cory Booker, Chris Van Hollen, Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
She added President Trump was overseeing "the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making."
That agenda, according to Ms Harris, was to "slash public education" and slash government departments "all while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest" Americans.
"It is an agenda that is not lowering costs, not making life more affordable and not what they promised," she said.
"It is a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favour loyalists, cash in on their power and leave everyone to fend for themselves all while abandoning allies and retreating from the world."
Elephants are a metaphor for Americans, says Harris
Mid-speech, Ms Harris brought up a recent viral video of elephants in a San Diego zoo during a recent earthquake, which showed them banding together.
She likened those elephants to the American people, saying it was a "powerful metaphor".
The elephants "huddled together to protect the vulnerable", she said, telling the audience to Google it if they hadn't seen it.
Within the metaphor she linked the earthquake that brought the elephants in the zoo together to the actions and "fear" tactics of Mr Trump.
"Those who try to incite fear, are most effective when they divide and conquer. But in the face of crisis, the lesson is don't scatter," she said.
Finishing her speech, Ms Harris said she doesn't have all the answers, but Americans were "all in this together."
"Things are probably going to get worse before they get better. But this country is ours."
She did not address her future during the speech but Ms Harris continues to fundraise, using a joint committee that includes Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic parties.
