A nearly sold-out crowd at a performance hall in Midtown erupted into a minute-long standing ovation for Kamala Harris, as she took to the stage to promote her new memoir “107 Days.” The book chronicles her short presidential campaign after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the election.
The event, held at The Town Hall near Times Square last week, was moderated by independent journalist and content creator Aaron Parnas, who asked Harris everything from the phone call she received from Biden when he ended his presidential run to the night she lost to President Donald Trump.
“I hope that when everyone has a chance to read the book that they will be reminded of that feeling that many of us shared during those 107 days, because it’s a feeling that we still possess,” said Harris. “We see the light in each other, and we cannot let that light be extinguished or dimmed because of one election, circumstance, or individual.”
Several audience members expressed their appreciation for the former vice-president.
“It was nice to relive all of those moments,” said John Carmel, an attendee who shared that he’d finished the book in one sitting the night before. “It shows how unique the campaign was. Reading her coverage of election night brought me to tears.”
Adele Reardon knocked on doors in Pennsylvania for the Harris-Walz campaign last October. “We’ve been looking for something joyous to give us some optimism during these hard times,” said Reardon.
But the crowd included detractors as well.
Outside a group of protesters waving Palestinian flags gathered by the entrance. One of the protesters who wore a Star of David around her neck was blowing a whistle, banging a drum, and crumpling two book covers in the face of a woman who was exiting the event. The attendee, in response, danced around the protester, waving her two copies of “107 Days” in the air.
Back inside, the conversation forcefully shifted to the war in Gaza when a masked protester started shouting.
“The blood of the Palestinians is on your hands,” said the protester.
“Your legacy is genocide and murder,” said another.
The crowd responded with boos, shouts, and chants in support of Harris.
“What is happening right now in Gaza, what is happening to the Palestinian people is outrageous and it breaks my heart,” said Harris as the crowd quieted down.
“I was the first person at the highest level of our United States government or administration to talk about the fact that the people in Gaza are starving,” she added. “I took a lot of heat from the administration for doing that.”
As the conversation about the past election continued, a discussion on the Democratic party’s future amid a second Trump presidency came up.
“We have to get over this whole messiah complex,” said Harris. “Let’s see the power of everyone in the room and look towards that. There’s no one savior.”