Kamala Harris recounts Wall Street standoff in Gold Coast address
One of the most powerful people in the former US administration has spoken to a major real estate conference on the Gold Coast.
Lessons learned from a stand-off with one of Wall Street’s most formidable bankers are among the pearls of wisdom Kamala Harris has shared with realtors gathered in Queensland for a major conference.
It has been four months since the former US vice president left office after losing last year’s election to Donald Trump.
Ms Harris has stayed in the public eye, making headlines in late April for accusing her successor of executing the “wholesale abandonment of America’s highest ideals” in a high profile speech.
She has also kept up public commentary on the news of the day, congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his selection and wishing her ex-boss Joe Biden “a full and speedy recovery” following his prostate cancer diagnosis.
Doug and I are saddened to learn of President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis. We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time. Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and… pic.twitter.com/gG5nB0GMPp
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 18, 2025
But she took some by surprise when she popped up on the Gold Coast after agreeing to a fireside chat at the Australian Real Estate Conference.
Speaking at AREC25, she homed in on the cross-section of politics and real estate, recalling her experience refusing a $4bn deal from major banks to settle dodgy mortgage deals as California’s attorney-general.
Mr Harris’ team had urged her to take the offer as the state was hit hard by a foreclosure crisis in the wake of the property bubble burst in the late naughties.
“I don’t hear no. I eat no for breakfast,” she told the conference.
Instead, she did some digging and concluded the offer was not good enough, prompting ire from the banks, including JP Morgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon.
“He gets on the phone and, in the loudest, strongest voice, says, ‘You are trying to steal from my shareholders,’” Ms Harris said.
“And I, because, of course, I will rise to the moment, said, ‘You are trying to steal from my homeowners in California.’”
In the end, she said she secured a better deal and pointed to preparation as the key in any negotiation.
Ms Harris has been reportedly mulling a run for California governor rather than a second bid at the White House.
Incumbent Gavin Newson — a fellow Democrat — has been suffering from popularity problems stemming on the back of criticism over crime rates and disaster management.
She would likely become the Democratic frontrunner in a gubernatorial race, as opposed to one of several serious contenders for Democratic presidential nominee.
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