NEW YORK — Former Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her book tour for “107 Days” in New York City, offering a personal reflection on her 2024 presidential campaign and the challenges faced after former President Joe Biden dropped out due to mounting concerns over his mental acuity. During a speaking event at The Town Hall theater in Midtown Manhattan, she addressed concerns from a nine-month-pregnant mother about raising a son in a politically charged climate.
Harris, who has long used the phrase “the children of the community are our children,” reassured the audience that teaching children to be strong and uplift others is key to their success. “To teach that our own children, that that is the way that we expect that they will live, which is to see the connection between themselves and others, to see the interdependence between themselves and others, and to have a sense of understanding that it’s a sign of strength to lift other people up,” she said.
She also criticized President Donald Trump for promoting a twisted notion of strength as beating others down, contrasting it with her vision of lifting people up. “I used to talk about it a lot in those 107 days, which is this perverse notion that is absolutely being pushed by this guy in the White House, which is to suggest that the measure of strength is based on who you beat down,” she said. “Instead, what I think everyone here understands, which is the true measure of strength, is based on who you lift up.”
The event also touched on Harris’ personal reflections on her 2024 presidential campaign and her book’s release, which has drawn criticism from some liberal Democrats. Conservative critics and others frequently mocked her “word salad” comments during the election cycle, including in September 2024 when she tied inflation to her “children of the community” phrase. “I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential,” Harris said, explaining she wanted to lower the cost of groceries for struggling families and vowing to take on big corporations who gouged customers.
Harris also took a few shots at Trump during the event and celebrated how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served as her mentor and supporter throughout the 2024 election. She kicked off her book tour in New York City before traveling to cities from coast to coast to promote her new book, which was released Tuesday. While the tour has drawn both praise and criticism, Harris remains focused on her message of community and uplift, which she believes is essential for raising children and navigating the current political climate.