Kamala Harris makes surprise Met Gala debut in a classic black and white gown

USA Today

06-05-2025

Kamala Harris makes surprise Met Gala debut in a classic black and white gown
Former Vice President Kamala Harris made her Met Gala debut at this year's annual fashion extravaganza.
Coinciding with this year's theme of "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," the Democrat donned an asymmetrical classic black and white gown at the ceremony but did not walk the blue carpet.
The appearance marks a return to the public eye following the November election, where she ran and lost as the Democratic nominee. On April 30, she delivered a speech at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco, where she condemned the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term.
"Instead of an administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals," Harris said. "But in the face of crisis, the lesson is: Don't scatter. The instinct has to be to immediately find each other and to know that the circle will be strong."
She warned Americans that things are probably "going to get worse before they get better," but urged people to lose focus. "Please always remember this country is ours," she said. "It doesn't belong to whoever is in the White House. It belongs to you."
Is Donald Trump banned from the Met Gala 2025?
Trump has not been welcomed to the Met Gala for nearly a decade since Vogue Editor-in-Chief and gala chair Anna Wintour announced in 2017 that he would no longer be invited.
What is the Met Gala?
The Costume Institute Benefit, commonly known as the Met Gala, is a fundraiser for the museum's Costume Institute, which hosts a collection of over 33,000 fashion artifacts. The 2024 Met Gala raised approximately $26 million, according to The New York Times and The Associated Press.
Contributing: Rebecca Morin and Juan Carlos Castillo, USA TODAY Network