Kamala Harris Addresses Gaza War Criticism, Blasts Trump's Authoritarian Streak

LONDON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to the British capital as part of the tour for her new book, “107 Days,” detailing her failed 2024 presidential campaign, got off to a tense start as three protesters interrupted the event within minutes of it starting, calling her out over the Biden administration’s role in Israel’s war in Gaza.

“Harris you have blood on your hands,” read a sign from one of the protesters who were all escorted out of the Royal Festival Hall at London’s Southbank Centre by security.

Harris responded to the uneasy moment by conceding that the Biden administration could have done more to address the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave amid Israel’s offensive.

“I believe that we had certain levers that we did not exercise,” she said. “I believe we should have made public statements about what was happening, in particular around the inhuman nature of what was happening in Gaza.”

But later in her discussion with novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Harris made clear that as vice president she did not have the “final say” on the administration’s policies, including on the Middle East, noting that she would have done things differently had she been in charge.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris discusses her new memoir "107 Days" at the Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival 2025 on Thursday in London.

James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images

Harris, who kept a mostly quiet profile in the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s return to power, is now using the opportunity of her book’s publication to speak out against his administration and what she described as the “incompetence” of many of its members, citing the example of the Signal group chat scandal.

“They’re so lazy that they’re talking war plans on Signal, instead of giving up their tushies and crawling to a secure room,” she remarked.

Harris also blasted Trump for demolishing the East Wing of the White House “to build a gilded ballroom for his rich friends,” instead of working to end the government shutdown even though the GOP controls both chambers of Congress.

While she acknowledged her party still has work to do to meet the moment, Harris applauded Democratic leaders in Congress for calling on Republicans to add funding to address the expiration of health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans in exchange for voting to reopen the government.

“The Democrats are willing to stand firm on that right now, not without political risk,” she said. “I applaud.”

At the same time, Harris pointed out that even though she expected Trump’s second presidency to have a devastating impact on the country, she did not see the capitulation of many industry leaders coming.

“I, as a devout public servant, perhaps naively, believed that when push comes to shove, the titans of industry would at least be part of the backstop, and the number of that have bended the knee at the foot of the tyrant has been
profound,” Harris added.

Trump’s behavior could also serve as a model worldwide, she warned, as the president has promoted the “resurgence of the strongman, and the idea that the strength of the nation is based on the brutality of its leaders.”

“That does and should concern us all,” she added.

“People are speaking. And at the end of this administration, there’s going to be an incredible amount of debris because of what has been broken,” Harris said.

Harris, who has yet to reveal whether she intends to run for president in 2028 after announcing that she wouldn’t pursue a 2026 gubernatorial bid in her home state of California, urged the audience to not lose hope as she spoke about the challenge of breaking barriers.

“When you break things, you get cut and you may bleed,” she said. “And it is worth it every single time.”