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Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks with Economic Development Corporation CEO Stephen Cheung astatine the 2025 Economic Forecast and Industry Outlook league astatine East Los Angeles College connected Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
Sarah Reingewirtz | Medianews Group | Los Angeles Daily News Via Getty Images | Medianews Group | Getty Images
Amid migration raids, peaceful protests, attacks connected instrumentality enforcement officers and the menace of his ain apprehension by national agents, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is immersed successful what could beryllium the astir consequential governmental combat of his career.
The conflict betwixt the president and the politician of the country's largest authorities instantly turned Newsom into the look of absorption to President Donald Trump's expansive mentation of the authorities of his bureau and mass-deportation campaign. Newsom, who is simply a imaginable 2028 Democratic statesmanlike candidate, has been taking heavy criticism from wrong his ain enactment implicit his efforts — successful portion done his caller podcast — to formed himself successful the relation of conciliator.
Newsom delivered an code Tuesday nighttime that aimed squarely astatine Trump and was intelligibly intended for a nationalist audience.
"This isn't conscionable astir protests present successful Los Angeles," helium said. "When Donald Trump sought broad authorization to commandant the National Guard, helium made that bid use to each authorities successful this nation. This is astir each of us. This is astir you. California whitethorn beryllium first, but it intelligibly volition not extremity here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is nether battle earlier our eyes. This infinitesimal we person feared has arrived."
"For idiosyncratic similar Newsom, the equilibrium is: Is helium capable to beryllium pugnacious enough? Will helium basal up to Trump? How does helium pb astatine this moment?" said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. "This is unprecedented. There's not a close answer. So far, he's doing the close things, being clear, consistent, wide communication."
Newsom could effort to crook the concern connected Trump by pointing to authorities overreach, but astatine the aforesaid time, determination is existent hazard of an eruption unit from rogue actors, said Matt Bennett, co-founder of Third Way, a center-left deliberation tank.
"The images of the militarization of this for nary crushed should beryllium capable for Newsom to triumph this statement arsenic agelong arsenic they tin support power of the worst of the violence," helium said.
"Trump ever goes excessively far," Bennett added. "Last time, helium went excessively acold with the Muslim ban. Then helium truly went excessively acold with kid separation — those images truly wounded Trump. Here, it's a existent question. It's a overmuch person telephone this time. We conscionable don't cognize yet."
As it is, Newsom indispensable equilibrium forces that are some wrong and extracurricular of his control. That includes competing with messaging from Trump (who often refers to the politician arsenic "Newscum") and the president's apical lieutenants, who are ever-present connected cablegram news, societal media and governmental podcasts. And it involves attempting to quell convulsive actors portion pointing to Trump's actions — which person included deploying the U.S. Marines — arsenic an overreach.
The White House maintains it is winning the nationalist relations battle, with officials tapping a refrain this week that it was the combat they wanted replete with made-for-TV images. They included images of billowing achromatic fume and Waymo vehicles that protesters had acceptable connected fire.
On Monday, California sued Trump for utilizing exigency powers to deploy National Guard troops to the Los Angeles country implicit the weekend. Trump, citing a statute that allows the president to activate the defender to repel a overseas penetration oregon quell a rebellion, accused Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of failing to support national agents and spot from demonstrators.
Newsom has slammed the measurement arsenic escalatory and said existing instrumentality enforcement could person handled immoderate unit oregon destruction. He argued that the determination was "purposefully inflammatory and volition lone escalate tensions" and that determination was "currently nary unmet need."
Newsom has besides been mounting his ain messaging offensive, including connected X, wherever helium posted what appeared to beryllium photos of troops crowded connected a floor, seemingly attempting to rest.
"You sent your troops present without fuel, food, h2o oregon a spot to sleep. Here they are — being forced to slumber connected the floor, piled connected apical of 1 another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump," Newsom said connected X.
On Sunday, Newsom chided Trump "border czar" Tom Homan, saying successful an MSNBC interview: "Tom, apprehension me. Let's go."
Late Monday, Newsom sat for a "Pod Save America" podcast recording in which helium formed Trump's actions arsenic unconstitutional and said immoderate of those assigned to Los Angeles — successful his view, unnecessarily — were pried distant from fentanyl investigations, and perchance from borderline operations, for "this theatrical show of toughness by a president of the United States who is unhinged."
By Tuesday morning, Newsom accused Trump and his apical White House deportation designer Stephen Miller of sheltering insurrectionists.
"The lone radical defending insurrectionists are you and @realDonaldTrump. Or, are we pretending similar you didn't pardon 1500 of them?"
On Tuesday afternoon, the 2 were locked successful different nationalist squabble aft Trump told reporters helium delivered immoderate pugnacious words to Newsom successful a telephone telephone Monday. Newsom said the 2 hadn't spoken since Friday, past posted an interrogation with NBC News from implicit the play successful which Newsom contended helium and Trump had a pleasant speech and that the president hardly talked astir the contented astatine hand.
The White House had a antithetic take.
"The President called Gavin Newsom to archer him to get his ass successful gear," White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said successful a statement. "The lone liar present is Newsom who continues to neglect his authorities arsenic helium prioritizes doing interviews with leftist media to gaslight the nationalist alternatively of helping his state."
At that, Newsom responded connected X: "Donald Trump is simply a chromatic acold liar."
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