Former Vice President Kamala Harris provided a spirited protection of her brief, unsuccessful 2024 presidential bid, lamented the lack of voters’ religion in establishments and urged Democrats to not develop into dispirited on Monday as she spoke on the first hometown celebration of her new e book about her roller-coaster marketing campaign.
She appeared to take little accountability for her loss to President Trump in 2024 whereas addressing a fawning crowd of two,000 individuals at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
“I wrote the e book for a lot of causes, however primarily to remind us how unprecedented that election was,” Harris stated about “107 Days,” her political memoir that was launched final week. “Give it some thought. A sitting president of the USA is working for reelection and three and a half months earlier than the election decides to not run, after which a sitting vp takes up the mantle to run towards a former president of the USA who has been working for 10 years, with 107 days to go.”
She dismissed Trump’s claims that his 2024 victory was so overwhelming that it was a transparent mandate by the voters
“And by the way in which, can historical past mirror on the truth that it was the closest presidential election?” Harris stated, standing from her seat on the stage, because the viewers cheered. “It is vital for us to recollect in order that we that know the place we’ve been to resolve and chart the place we’re.”
Trump beat Harris by greater than 2.3 million votes — about 1.5% of the favored vote — however the Republican swept the electoral faculty vote, successful 312-226. Different presidential contests have been tighter, notably the 2000 contest between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. Gore gained the favored vote by almost 544,000 votes however Bush gained the electoral faculty vote 271-266 in a deeply contentious election that reached the U.S. Supreme Court docket.
Harris, faulted for failing to attach with voters about their financial ache in battleground states within the Midwest and Southwest, criticized former President Biden about his administration’s priorities. She stated she would have addressed kitchen desk points earlier than laws about infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing.
“I’d have carried out the household piece first, which is inexpensive childcare, paid go away, extension of the kid tax credit score,” she stated, primary points going through People who “want to simply get by at the moment.”
Harris spoke about her e book in dialog with Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan, the hosts of the “I’ve Had It” podcast and former forged members of the Bravo collection “Candy Residence Oklahoma.”
Attendees paid as much as a whole lot or hundreds of {dollars} on the resale marketplace for tickets to attend the occasion, a part of a multi-city e book tour that started final week in New York Metropolis. The East Coast occasion was disrupted by protesters about Israeli actions in Gaza. Harris is touring throughout the nation and abroad selling her e book.
The previous vp’s e book tour is count on to be a giant cash maker.
Harris’ writer just lately added one other “107 Days” occasion at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Oct. 28.
The Bay Space native touched upon present information occasions throughout her look, which lasted shortly over an hour.
Concerning the impending federal authorities shutdown, Harris stated Democrats should be clear that the fault lies squarely with Republicans as a result of they management the White Home, the Senate and the Home of Representatives.
“They’re in energy,” she stated, arguing that her get together should stand agency towards efforts to chop entry to healthcare, notably the Reasonably priced Care Act.
She additionally ripped into Trump for his social media publish of a faux AI-generated video of Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries. The video purports to indicate Schumer saying that Latino and Black voters hate Democrats, so the get together should present undocumented residents free healthcare so that they help the get together till they be taught English and “notice they hate us too.” Jeffries seems to put on a sombrero as mariachi music performs within the background.
“It’s juvenile,” Harris stated. Trump is “only a man who’s unbalanced, he’s incompetent and he’s unhinged.”
Harris didn’t contact on the problems she wrote in her e book that brought on consternation amongst Democrats, akin to not deciding on former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to be her working mate as a result of she didn’t imagine People had been able to help a presidential ticket with a biracial girl and a homosexual man. She additionally didn’t point out her recounting of reaching out to Gov. Gavin Newsom after Biden determined to not search reelection, and him not responding to her past saying he was out hikinG.
Harris lamented civic and company leaders caving to calls for from the Trump administration.
Amongst these Trump focused had been legislation corporations that did work for his perceived enemies.
“I predicted nearly all the pieces,” she stated. “What I didn’t predict was the capitulation of universities, legislation corporations, media companies be they tv or newspapers. I didn’t predict that.”
She stated that whereas she labored in public service all through her profession, her interactions with leaders within the non-public sector led her to imagine that they might be “among the many guardians of our democracy.”
“I’ve been upset, deeply deeply upset by people who find themselves highly effective who’re bending the knee on the foot of this tyrant,” Harris stated.
Harris didn’t point out that her husband, Doug Emhoff, is a companion on the legislation agency Willkie Farr & Gallagher that earlier this yr that reached an settlement with the White Home to supply a minimum of $100 million in professional bono authorized work in the course of the Republican’s time within the White Home and past.
In April, the agency reached an settlement with the Trump administration, with the president saying their providers could be devoted to serving to veterans, Gold Star households, legislation enforcement members and first responders, and that the legislation agency agreed to fight antisemitism and never interact in “DEI” efforts.
Emhoff, who joined the legislation agency in January and likewise is now on the has college at USC , has condemned his legislation agency’s settlement with the administration.
Emhoff, who was in attendance on the occasion and posing for footage with Harris supporters, declined remark concerning the occasion.
“I’m simply right here to help my spouse,” he stated.
