Kamala Harris Calls Trump Administration ‘Corrupt, Incompetent’ and ‘Callous’

Kamala Harris blasted the Trump administration as “corrupt, incompetent [and] callous” while speaking at Public Counsel’s annual William O. Douglas Award Dinner on Wednesday night in Beverly Hills

The former vice president was honored with the organization’s William O. Douglas Award, and was joined in conversation by Uzo Aduba. The two discussed how people can get involved politically, her thoughts on the next generation and the ramifications of the recent weakening of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court just hours before the dinner.

“Before this decision this morning, people would ask me, ‘Well, do you think they’re going to try and cancel the elections?’ I don’t think so. Because if you thought no kings rallies were a thing, people would take to the streets if they tried to cancel elections,” Harris said. “No, they have had an agenda that has been in place for decades, to get to this very moment and beyond which is to make it so difficult for the people to vote that they won’t, because they know the people are not stupid and see the corrupt, incompetent, callous administration that is in the White House right now, and they’re so damn scared. They’re so damn scared of losing the midterms.”  

Harris called on Democrats to step up and fight fire with fire. “We have to be ruthless, too,” she said.

Also being honored with Public Counsel’s Trailblazer in the Arts Award was Oscar-winner Rita Moreno. The usually outspoken actress and activist avoided politics this time around. “I’m not even going to talk about that man,” she told Variety on the red carpet. “I have no interest whatsoever.” 

Moreno did cheekily acknowledge her outspokenness while accepting her award. “I have to confess that I had ulterior motives for being here this evening when I read your biography, all of you, over 50 years of legal advocacy for children, families, immigrants, victims, I thought, in a time when the current administration keeps things so interesting and I’m feeling increasingly inspired to polish my protesting shoes, I could use a few friends like you,” she said. “I’m just saying that one never knows when a perfectly reasonable idea might require excellent legal representation.” 

She also recalled not being unable to get hired following her Oscar and Golden Globe-winning performance as Anita in “West Side Story.” “Actually, I was offered jobs that were all gang movies and I remember saying to myself, ‘I don’t ever want to do that again,’” said Moreno. “So I made choices, and I said no, obviously, when it would have been a whole lot easier to say yes. I stepped away when I needed to hold on to my dignity.” 

Moreno reflected on meeting with legendary talent agent Sue Mengers. “I told her the story, and I said, ‘So do you think you can help me? Do you think that maybe just for a couple of months, you could represent me and see if you can help me get over this awful hump of nobody being interested?’ And she very rapidly answered me and said ‘No.’ And I, foolish girl that I was, said, ‘May I ask why?’ And she says — she actually said — ‘Because you don’t have what it takes.’”

Over the course of Moreno’s nearly eight decades long career, she’s cemented herself in history with roles in “The Electric Company,” “Oz,” “One Day at a Time” and more. An EGOT winner, she won the Tony for the role of Googie Gomez in the 1975 play “The Ritz.” And while she’s been awarded honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Moreno told Variety that this honor was something entirely different. 

“It’s about the heart and the soul and about humanity, and it’s about caring for those not as fortunate as you,” she said. “It’s all of those things rolled into one… This is something entirely different and that’s a good thing in this particular instance.” 

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Vin Diesel both introduced Moreno, recalling how the star changed the industry. “Rita has broken every barrier. When there were no Puerto Ricans in Hollywood and there were no Puerto Ricans on Broadway, Rita blazed that trail for all of us,” said Miranda. 

“Every time Rita stepped onto a stage or a screen, she demanded to be seen, fully human,” said Diesel, who worked with Moreno on the 2023 film “Fast X.” “She was doing something radical. She expanded who gets to be visible, who gets to be heard? And who gets to be valued? Rita, you didn’t just break barriers. You made it easier for the rest of us to walk through.”

Law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP was awarded the Law Firm Pro Bono Award for its demonstrated commitment to public service for more than eight decades; the firm has contributed more than 31,275 hours of pro bono work in 2025, valued at $25.6 million.

The William O. Douglas Award Dinner is an annual event attended by leaders from the business, legal, political, entertainment and philanthropic communities to support Public Counsel’s work and the accomplishments of those who have profoundly advanced justice and equality.