WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Washington Thursday night to discuss her new memoir, “107 Days.”
Moderated by journalist Kara Swisher, the event was one of two held at the Warner Theatre that evening.
During the book talk, which ran just under 90 minutes, Harris condemned President Donald Trump’s agenda, which she said included sending National Guard troops to American cities and advancing health-related misinformation. She also praised “rising stars” in the Democratic party — like Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who was in the audience, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) — and carefully evaded a question on whether she would run for president in 2028.
“Maybe, maybe not,” she said, declining to elaborate.
While “107 Days” offers an exclusive look into Harris’ presidential campaign, the shortest one in U.S. history, the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James and the government shutdown loomed more heavily over the talk.
Harris repeatedly took jabs at the Trump administration and admitted she did not know the nation’s political future. She said James’ indictment was an expression of political retaliation from Trump, and that what she perceived as government overreach may be ongoing.
“I don’t know that it won’t get worse before it gets better,” she said.
Beginning the talk with an unsparing take on Trump’s cabinet members, Harris criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Harris said her mother’s background as a medical researcher seeking to find a cure for breast cancer instilled in her a reverence for science and medical advancements.
She said the secretary undermines health and promotes misinformation.
“It’s f–cked up,” she said bluntly, adding “When I see what these people do, it’s personal for me … what they are doing to push misinformation and lies, it’s criminal.”
Harris’ talk offered a rare image of the former vice president letting loose. As she dropped expletives in condemnation of Trump, she took a moment to reflect on — and cackle at — the absurdity of his campaign messaging. Prompted by Swisher about his claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating domestic pets, she allowed herself to laugh.
Midway through the event, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton made a surprise cameo, orchestrated by Swisher. Having both debated Trump (“and won,” Clinton asserts), she asked Harris: “Do you think we’re the reason he is so unhinged today?”
Harris laughed, but her tone then shifted to a more serious tenor.
“We have, in this president, the most callous, corrupt and incompetent individuals that has ever occupied that White House,” she said.
Attendee John-Paul Perrotta was an enthusiastic supporter of Harris’ presidential race, having attended her rally at The Ellipse in D.C. toward the end of her campaign last October. He said Harris’ loss to Trump was a letdown, but her campaign messages endure.
‘It’s kind of hard not to be a little disheartened or feel a little embittered about how things turned out, but you can still support Vice President Harris, what she stands for, and everything that she wanted to put into the country and the White House,” he said.
In “107 Days,” Harris touches on various facets of her presidential run, from the selection process of her running mate to her frustration with the Biden campaign. The memoir has drawn controversy from some Democrats, due to her written observations that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was too eager to be her running mate, and she could not risk choosing Pete Buttigieg, as his status as a gay man had the potential to polarize voters.
Her criticisms of Democrats mentioned in the memoir align with the blunt approach she has taken in recent media appearances related to the book. In an appearance last week at an activist summit with WNBA star Napheesa Collier, Harris dropped an expletive while describing Trump’s administration.
“There is so much about this moment that is trying to make people feel like they’ve lost their minds, when in fact, these motherf-ckers are crazy,” she said.
The memoir’s Sept. 23 release was met with critical acclaim, surging to the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list and selling 350,000 copies on its first week alone.
Attendees went home with copies of Harris’ book.
Audience member Debbie Deas said she could not pinpoint any single element of the talk that resonated with her, but she left feeling hopeful.
“I don’t know if there’s one specific thing, but I think her presence and her view and the emphasis of how serious this is, but then all the things that can be done in response to it,” she said.
Nonetheless, Deas emphasized that the talk did not impact her perception of Harris’ loss to Trump last November.
She voiced frustration with the outcome of the election, sharing that she still feels bitter about its results.
“I feel like things didn’t go the way they should have gone, and I still feel like things didn’t go the way they should have gone,” she said.
