On Thursday (March 16), Vice President Kamala Harris witnessed Howard University, her alma mater, lose to Kansas, defending NCAA men’s basketball national champions, 96-68.
Harris watched the game in Des Moines, Iowa, where Howard and Kansas played at the Wells Fargo Arena.
According to multiple reports, when the Vice President appeared on the video board, she received an icy reception from the crowd, with the boos outweighing the cheers.
Following Howard’s loss, Harris gave the team a pep talk in their locker room.
Harris attempted to boost morale in her speech by stating that Bison’s had “played hard… played to the very last second” and made supporters proud.
The Vice President added that the team was “disciplined” and put everything “into the game,” continuing that they hadn’t stopped describing them as “inspiring.”
The Vice President concluded by acknowledging that although the team “may not be feeling great right now,” they know themselves and are “powerful… winners.”
On social media, hardly anyone was impressed by Harris’s speech, with users describing it as “wrong” and sympathizing with the players who had to listen to the “cringe” speech.
Patrick Parsons, the Executive Vice President of the American Firearms Association, tweeted, “There is something very wrong with this woman.”
Greg Price, Communications Director of the State Freedom Caucus Network, tweeted that he felt “bad for these guys,” emphasizing that “They lost the game and then had to be subjected to this speech.”
Clayton Keirns, co-owner of Trending Politics, tweeted he could “feel the cringe in the room,” adding, “I’m speechless.”
