California Gov. Gavin Newsom returns to President Donald Trump resistance rhetoric amid Los Angeles protests clash
After months of recalibrating his progressive firebrand image, Gov. Gavin Newsom is once again emerging as the leader of Democrats' resistance to President Donald Trump.
With California and the White House now in a legal standoff over Trump's deployment of federal troops in Los Angeles, Newsom is no longer holding back in his fierce criticism of the Trump administration.
"Democracy is under assault before our eyes," Newsom said in a public address Tuesday evening. "This moment we have feared has arrived."
After largely steering clear of direct public fights with Trump in recent months, Newsom's latest rhetoric marks a shift away from what many in his party view as a moderate rebranding - as speculation about his 2028 presidential ambition grows.
Earlier this year, Newsom welcomed MAGA leaders like Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk on his podcast to the dismay of other Democrats. There in a conversation with Kirk, the governor said he agreed with Republicans that it's "deeply unfair" for transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports. At times, the Democratic leader even decried his own party's brand as "toxic."
In recent days, Newsom has seized the opportunity to antagonize Trump - daring border czar Tom Homan to "come and get me," after Homan threatened to arrest the California governor if he obstructs federal immigration enforcement.
The governor's tone currently is more reminiscent of the combative style he took during the president's first term, and something political consultant Jim Ross says is likely more true to Newsom's own beliefs.
"My experience with Gavin Newsom is he usually gets to doing the right thing, even if he gets there in the wrong way," Ross said. "I think this is that situation where I think he was always going to end up being an opposition to Trump, but it just took him a circuitous route to get there."
In addition to presidential hopes, Ross suggests Newsom's Trump-friendly strategy was rooted in California's need for federal support after the L.A. wildfires.
"Everybody knows that the best way to get (Trump) to do something is to suck up to him," he said.
But Republican strategists see it differently.
"We've got someone who is now flip-flopping back and forth," said GOP consultant Hector Barajas.
"Wherever the political wind takes him, that's where Gavin Newsom is going to be," Barajas said. "If it's convenient to have Charlie Kirk back on his podcast, he's going to do that."
Politics aside, the deployment of troops in Los Angeles is raising real constitutional questions about the president's ability to deploy military forces without a governor's approval.
That issue is now heading to federal court in San Francisco, where U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer will consider issuing a temporary restraining order to halt Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles.
