Vice President Kamala Harris was booed by sections of the crowd as she watched her alma mater Howard University lose to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
Harris, a 1986 college graduate in Washington DC, received a hostile reception when she appeared on the jumbotron during her basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday.
The composition of the crowd at the March Madness event may have had something to do with the boos Harris received. Both Kansas and Iowa were red states that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
In late 2021 and 2022, chants of “f*** Joe Biden” were heard at sporting events across the country. The chant was later replaced with “come on Brandons” and the derisive phrase became a Republican meme.
Clips of the moment Harris was greeted with boos when she appeared on video at the stadium have surfaced on social media.
Kamala Harris was booed by the crowd at a surprise March Madness appearance in Iowa as she watched her alma mater Howard University fall to Kansas, according to the AP. 😂 pic.twitter.com/gnZakJOhXa
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) March 17, 2023
After Howard Bison’s loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, Harris went to talk to the team in the locker room and praised the players. \”You played hard. You played until the last second.
You have made all of us Bisons proud,” Harris said. You are hasty, you are smart, and you are disciplined. You put everything you had into the game.
“Up until the last minute, you did it like this. You didn’t stop until the last second, and that’s very inspiring. So you keep playing with your chin up and shoulders back because you’ve shown the world who the bison are.
“So I know you may not be feeling very well right now, okay, but I know who you are. You are excellent. You are hard work. You are powerful and six winners.”
The striker of the joint of Howard University praised the vice -president for his support. “It’s amazing to know that we have such powerful people who are affiliated with us and support us at the same time,” Odom told the Associated Press.
Head coach Kenny Blakeney said players should be proud of him following Howard’s third NCAA Tournament appearance in history, and first since 1992.
“I love how they’ve grown as people and become better men this season,” Blakeney said. “This is a victory that nobody can take away from us. I am delighted that we were able to represent Howard University in an elegant way that has honored so many before us.”
The White House was contacted for comment via email.
