MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has gone public with a pointed critique of President Trump's first 100 days in office. As KQED's Scott Shafer reports, it comes as Harris is considering a run for governor of California.
SCOTT SHAFER, BYLINE: Harris spoke at a dinner last night marking the 20th anniversary of Emerge America, which helps elect Democratic women. It was her first major speech since leaving office in January, and the former vice president didn't mince words about the administration that followed hers and Joe Biden's.
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KAMALA HARRIS: Instead of an administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals.
SHAFER: Harris said unless Congress and the courts stand up to Trump, the nation will face a constitutional crisis.
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HARRIS: They are counting on the notion that if they make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others. But what they're overlooking - what they have overlooked - is that fear is not the only thing that's contagious. Courage is contagious.
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SHAFER: She called on Americans to unite against attacks on judges and the courts while supporting due process and equal justice for everyone, including immigrants. Harris, who was a U.S. senator from California when Biden picked her to run for vice president, is mulling over a run for California governor next year when Governor Gavin Newsom's term ends. She made no mention of her own political future during the speech. The race has already attracted a slew of well-known Democrats, including former Congresswoman Katie Porter and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who says he's staying in the race no matter who gets in. Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis is hoping to become the state's first female governor, but would likely shift to another statewide office if Harris gets in.
For NPR News, I'm Scott Shafer in San Francisco.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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