Former Vice President Kamala Harris held a talk in Medford’s Chevalier Theatre on Saturday as part of her “107 Days” book tour.
In an hour long conversation with historian Heather Cox Richardson, Harris discussed a wide range of topics, including foreign policy, anecdotes from her presidential campaign and fighting back against the administration of President Donald Trump.
Harris was interrupted repeatedly throughout the event by protestors, most of whom called out her inaction to the war in Gaza, accusing her of “funding a genocide” and declaring, “Palestine will remember.” They were immediately removed from the theater and booed by audience members.
After the outbursts, Harris addressed the issue, saying she was one of the first people in the Biden administration to acknowledge the starvation in Gaza and call for a ceasefire.
“Our administration should have done more,” she added.
She argued that the focus should be on the “day after” plans for Gaza and that the Trump administration cared little about the future and had given “blank checks” to the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Harris described her book as a journal, saying that the writing process was an opportunity to reflect on her frenetic 2024 campaign for president and take readers behind the scenes.
She discussed the intense preparations for her debate with Trump — whom she did not mention by name throughout the entire event — and shared anecdotes about her vice presidential debate in 2020.
Throughout the conversation, Harris attempted to highlight her work as vice president to advance the economies of developing countries. She described U.S. foreign policy as often focusing too heavily on immediate crises rather than long-term investment, while mentioning the administration of former President Joe Biden’s efforts to promote digital inclusion in Africa and agriculture-sector development, with a focus on supporting women.
“When you lift up the economic status of women, you lift up the economic status of families and all of society benefits,” she said.
Harris also tied agriculture to migration and the climate crisis, arguing that natural disasters have impeded food growth and caused displacement. A lack of resources, she claimed, can also nurture corruption and lead to fear and violence.
“In healthy communities … people have options and aren’t reduced to desperation,” she said.
Harris also remarked on the growth of misinformation and disinformation in the United States, which she said was “weakening us as a nation.” She criticized the notion of “low information voters,” arguing that they are misled by false information rather than a lack thereof, and said that social media had lowered the bar on entering political discourse.
Harris spoke extensively about fighting back against the Trump administration’s agenda and dealing with political exhaustion. She said the administration was blatant about its goals and that, while she predicted many specific policies that would be enacted, she did not predict “the capitulation.”
She also attempted to reframe the results of the 2024 election by noting that Trump won without a national majority: A third of the adult population voted for him, a third voted for Harris and a third did not vote. She emphasized the need to mobilize the non-voting third.
Asked in an audience question about the future of the Democratic Party, Harris said it had to “fight fire with fire” and that people could not afford to sit back. She praised public participation in “No Kings” protests and lauded Democratic victories in November elections, pointing to the party’s gains in state legislatures around the country. Democrats winning back the House and Senate, she stated, was vital to maintain a system of checks and balances.
“[We] cannot let this moment defeat our spirit. … if we let them do that to us, they’re winning,” Harris said. “The power is with the people … this is our country.”
Harris ended the talk with several calls to action, telling audience members to “remain vigilant” and be unafraid to call out the administration’s actions.
“An injustice against one of us is an injustice against all of us,” she said.
She also spoke directly to students, encouraging them to stay involved.
“There are such powerful forces … trying to convince you that you are powerless,” she warned.
Outside the theater, Trump supporters held flags and wore ‘Make America Great Again’ memorabilia, with one sign reading “Long Live King Trump.” Several cars driving by honked their horns in support, while event-goers in line shared brief back-and-forths with the protestors.
