Former Vice President Kamala Harris ingratiated herself with Hollywood donors last week after she took a few shots at President Trump during a conference in Southern California’s Orange County.
Since her humiliating loss to President Trump in the 2024 election, rumors have swirled on whether or not Kamala Harris would run for president again in 2028 or if she will run for governor of California when Gavin Newsom exits in 2026; her hits at Trump during Leading Women Defined Summit last week shows she at least plans to remain politically active.
“There is a sense of fear that has been taking hold in our country,” Harris told the crowd last Thursday. “And I understand it, but we’re seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats. And these are the things that we are witnessing each day in these last few months in our country, and it understandably creates a great sense of fear.”
“I’ll say this fear has a way of being contagious,” she added. “But I say this also: courage is also contagious.”
The former vice president’s comments was well-received with thunderous applause and Hollywood donors were satisfied, per Deadline:
“About damn time, I would say,” one very political Hollywood heavyweight said after 2024 candidate Harris’ surprise April 3 appearance at the Leading Women Defined Summit. “Harris, Obama, they’ve all been sitting this out too long.”
“More of that!” a reliable Hollywood donor exclaimed of the more punchy and perhaps personal than usual speech the risk-adverse ex-Veep delivered. Like many well-heeled L.A. Democrats, the donor had been feeling disillusioned with the party and its candidate after giving so much last year only to see Trump sweep all swing states. Now Trump’s grievance-fueled authoritarian and Project 2025 measures have hit Americans hard and relentlessly the past 70-odd days, the tide may be turning.
“A lot more of that, more Cory Booker, more Harris, more Bernie, more everyone,” the donor went on to say, namechecking the New Jersey senator who took to the upper chamber’s floor for a record breaking 24 hours-plus speech this week. “Finally, someone’s fighting back!”
At least one producer and mega Hollywood donor described the former vice president’s comments as being “too little, too late.”
“No one wants to hear from her, just go away,” the producer told Deadline.
In early February, however, Harris appeared to brush rumors of a gubernatorial bid aside.
“I have been home for two weeks and three days,” she said. “My plans are to be in touch with my community, to be in touch with the leaders and figure out what I can do to support them,”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
