海角大神

When President Joe Biden named Kamala Harris as his running mate, there were whispers about her ambition 鈥� would a former rival be a loyal soldier to a president she so sharply criticized on the campaign trail?

Fueling those whispers was their relationship 鈥� while cordial, it was initially not particularly close.

But 100 days into Mr. Biden鈥檚 term, things look very different. Ms. Harris has become one of the administration鈥檚 most prominent advocates for Mr. Biden鈥檚 agenda, standing alongside him at most of his major announcements and building a relationship that aides say is closer than most presidents had with their seconds-in-command.

Ms. Harris has taken on one of the administration鈥檚 toughest tasks 鈥� addressing the root causes of migration to the United States from Mexico and Central America. The problem has bedeviled presidents from both parties for years and has no easy solutions.

Tina Flournoy, Ms. Harris鈥� chief of staff, said the vice president has 鈥渢aken it on with gusto.鈥�

鈥淪he has said to me, 鈥榃hen you decide you鈥檙e going to run for office and your name is on the ballot, next to it are not two boxes that say, 鈥榚asy work鈥� and 鈥榟ard work,鈥欌�� Ms. Flournoy said.

Of the hard problems, Ms. Flournoy added: 鈥淎re we supposed to ignore them because they鈥檙e hard? Or are we supposed to really dig in and try to fix them?鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the administration鈥檚 greatest challenge during its first 100 days. The public health and economic crisis of historic proportions has forced the White House to work differently from Day One of Mr. Biden鈥檚 tenure.

The pandemic sharply limited travel by the president and the vice president, which has had at least one silver lining: Because Ms. Harris hasn鈥檛 been on the move as much as past vice presidents early on, she鈥檚 spent more time with Mr. Biden, helping to cement their relationship. The two have had lunch every Friday, and on a typical day may spend four to five hours in meetings together, which ensures that her voice is heard and her fingerprints are left on major policy decisions, aides say. They point to the expansion of the child tax credit and child care funding as examples of her priorities.

Ms. Harris had a role in developing Mr. Biden鈥檚 agenda and 鈥渢he strategy of selling it, both to the American people, and on the Hill,鈥� Ms. Flournoy said.

Aides say Ms. Harris has also shown enthusiasm for some less-glamorous aspects of the administration鈥檚 $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan as she鈥檚 been promoting it 鈥� such as water issues, with which she had experience during her time as a U.S. senator for California, broadband access, and provisions expanding electric vehicle use.

Being the nation鈥檚 first Black, South Asian, and female vice president informs her office in ways both big and small. And she will have a prominent place behind Mr. Biden on Wednesday as he addresses a joint session of Congress for the first time.

Ms. Harris has chosen to champion issues that have been top priorities for much of her career and reflect her own lived experience. She told aides on her first day in office that she wanted to focus on relief to small businesses. She鈥檚 also focused on policies that affect women and children, including Black maternal mortality. And she has homed in on the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and sluggish economy on women and people of color.

Ms. Harris has decorated her office with small nods to her historic role: a bust of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, donated by her alma mater, Howard University, along with the shoulder bars from the first Black female brigade commander at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Her support for the president and his agenda may have strengthened their relationship, but it鈥檚 left some advocates wanting more from her on two major issues 鈥� criminal justice reform and immigration.

On criminal justice reform 鈥� one of her campaign priorities 鈥� Ms. Harris has hardly been out front. While she鈥檚 spoken alongside Mr. Biden in response to recent mass shootings, and at an event announcing his executive orders on guns, the administration as a whole hasn鈥檛 made a significant public push on the issue.

Andrea James, executive director and founder of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls, said that considering Ms. Harris is 鈥渁 woman of color, her history, her pride, and speaking about her mom who was a brave and courageous woman and fought obstacles because of the color of her skin,鈥� they expected to see more from her speaking out on the issue.

Aides say Ms. Harris is making calls to Capitol Hill and working on the criminal justice issue behind the scenes.

On immigration, Ms. Harris has been hammered from the left and right as she鈥檚 taken on her new role addressing the root causes of migration at the southern border.

While Republicans have criticized Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris as absent on the issue because they haven鈥檛 visited the border yet, progressive immigration groups complain the administration hasn鈥檛 done enough to push for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Lorella Praeli, president of Community Change Action, said Ms. Harris was a 鈥渢rue champion for immigrants鈥� as a senator and it was important that she now 鈥渓ean in and she help to carry this issue.鈥�

Some of Ms. Harris鈥� allies have expressed concerns that the problem is so amorphous and intractable that there鈥檚 no clear solution, and that Ms. Harris will be judged harshly even if she makes progress.

The concern arises in part from a desire to protect Ms. Harris鈥� political future. While Mr. Biden insists he plans on running for reelection, many political observers believe he鈥檒l decide against it, clearing a path for Ms. Harris.

Experts and advocates focused on immigration say it鈥檚 too early to judge the outcome of her work there. Ms. Harris has thus far had conversations with the leaders of Mexico and Guatemala, and is planning her first trip to the region in June.

Dan Restrepo, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who鈥檚 been in meetings on the issue with Ms. Harris, said 鈥渟he asks very good questions鈥� and her early move to bring together experts on the migrant crisis 鈥渋s a really encouraging sign.鈥� He also pushed back against criticism that Ms. Harris doesn鈥檛 have the experience to tackle the issue.

鈥淚 think the skill set that she brings to the table, as a successful politician and somebody who gets people, is probably the most important translatable skill,鈥� he said.

That human approach, aides say, shapes her approach to everything from policy to diplomacy.

鈥淪he will emphasize that we need to speak directly with the American people, that she doesn鈥檛 want to just give rhetoric,鈥� said Rohini Kosoglu, Ms. Harris鈥� domestic policy adviser.

When Ms. Harris is briefed before calling or meeting a foreign leader, she wants more than just the political topline, asking about the leader鈥檚 hobbies and interests, 鈥漵o she has a real sense of the person,鈥� Ms. Flournoy said. When she spoke with the Japanese prime minister earlier this month, she wanted to know about his love of baseball.

And when she swears in new Cabinet members at her ceremonial office in the executive office building across from the White House, Ms. Flournoy says, Ms. Harris asks them to take a moment to be present, and tells them to think about 鈥渁ll the reasons you鈥檙e here and all the work you鈥檙e going to do.鈥�

Then she brings them out on her balcony to look at the American flag flying high over the West Wing.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.