According to RadarOnline.com, Kamala Harris, the Vice President, was greeted with boos this week during her unexpected visit to Iowa to watch her former school compete in the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.

Harris graduated from Iowa’s Howard University in 1986, and she made a surprise appearance in Des Moines on Thursday night to cheer on the Howard Bison in their match against the University of Kansas’ Jayhawks.

Although the 58-year-old Vice President, along with her husband Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, seemed thrilled to attend the March Madness game on Thursday night, the audience was apparently unhappy to see her there.

As the game’s second half progressed, and before the Howard Bison experienced a crushing 68-96 defeat against the Kansas Jayhawks, the stadium erupted in boos when Harris’s image appeared on the Wells Fargo Arena jumbotron.

“I mean, here we are in Des Moines. And they are a tough time, they work hard, they are so disciplined and it is a joy to watch them here in March Madness,” Harris said of her alma mater while a chorus of boos could be heard in the background. “So many of us who are here, we love our school.”

“And Howard University, I ran for my first office as freshman class representative and have always been part of the Howard community,” she continued, although the boos only appeared to grow louder. “And I’m sure that everyone who has a team understands what it means and the joy and the commitment that we have in the traditions and the loyalty to your team.”

Daily Mail reports that the reason behind the March Madness crowd’s decision to boo Vice President Harris on Thursday night may be attributed to the fact that both Iowa and Kansas supported then-President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election. Although 44.9% of Iowa voters chose Joe Biden and Harris, an overwhelming majority of 53.1% supported Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence.

In contrast, in Kansas, just 41.53% of voters supported Biden and Harris, while a majority of 56.18% voted for Trump and Pence.

Despite the unfavorable reception Harris received from the Des Moines crowd, she still acknowledged the significance of funding sports programs at universities across the country, especially historically black colleges and universities like Howard.

“These sports programs need to be well resourced because when you look at the coaches like the coaches on the two teams that are here, they are investing in these students as a whole person, so yes it is about helping them be their best and most talented on the court,” Harris explained. “But, also off the court.”

“They’re investing in these kids, they’re investing in their education, they think about their life and all of the things that they bring to their time in school,” she concluded before getting back to watching the match.

“And I admire these coaches for really investing in our current future leaders.”