Former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has been hit with repeated protests during her ongoing book tour.
Harris, the former vice president, has been heckled numerous times about how the Biden administration and her campaign handled the Israel-Gaza conflict as she promotes her memoir, 107 Days. The book, which chronicles her presidential campaign following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in August 2024, was published in September.
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ office by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
Harris, who lost the 2024 election to President Donald Trump, remains a significant figure in U.S. politics, and it has been rumored that she might run for president again in 2028.
The heckling shows that tensions about the previous administration’s handling of tensions in the Middle East remain. Harris lost some support during the presidential election from pro-Palestinian advocacy groups who called on the Biden administration to impose on arms embargo on Israel in response to its attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
What To Know
In September, during her first stop of her tour in New York, Harris was heckled about Palestine, prompting her to respond: “I’m not president right now, there’s nothing I can do.”
Meanwhile, during an event in Chicago on October 12, at least one protester began shouting and accusing Harris of complicity in Israel’s assaults on the Gaza Strip. “You are a killer, Kamala. You support genocide,” one protester shouted, before being removed by security.
Harris said: “I’m not president and if you want to talk about legal lets talk about the legacy of mass deportation, of people not voting and Donald Trump.”
Her supporters cheered in response.
The previous day, protesters interrupted an event in Washington D.C. and spoke about Gaza. Harris said in response: “You know what, I am not president of the United States.”
What People Are Saying
Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K. told Newsweek: “The previous Biden administration bears some responsibility for the length of the war in Gaza and the severity of the Israeli prosecution of it. Biden was slow to react to Netanyahu’s growing brutality and, as Harris says in her book, failed to show sufficient empathy for the plight of the Gazans.
“Harris was his right-hand woman – and she’s taking the flak for it now. Even when she became the candidate, Harris was unable to make the shift from the Democrats’ traditional role of supporter of Israel to being clearly seen as a Middle East peace maker and her book does little to make the case for what she might have done. She has been heckled several times on her tour now and still hasn’t got a clear response to those who challenge her. Younger Democrats are increasingly associating her with the past and see her as part of the problem that let Donald Trump back into the White House rather than a credible candidate for 2028.”
What Happens Next
Harris will continue touring various U.S. cities including Miami, Florida and Nashville, Tennessee, until November 20. Whether she is well received remains in these locations to be seen.
Meanwhile, the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel is underway, and Hamas has released all of the living hostages it had captured in October 2023.
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