Former Vice President Kamala Harris defended the "overwhelmingly peaceful" protesters in her home state of California while criticizing President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops as a "dangerous escalation" and "cruel" on the third consecutive day of violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.

Harris said the deployment is "part of the Trump Administration's cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division."

"This Administration's actions are not about public safety — they're about stoking fear,” the former vice president wrote on social media.