Thanks to his good looks and fancy breeding, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has done remarkably well in Democratic politics. The one-time husband of one-time Donald Trump Jr.-paramour Kimberley Guilfoyle has survived sex scandals and COVID scandals and six separate recall efforts to somehow emerge as a 2028 front-runner for his party’s presidential nomination.
Then this weekend’s protests broke out in Los Angeles.
Now Newsom is fighting for his political life as President Donald Trump declares him Enemy No. 1 in Washington’s war on the rioters bringing anarchy to the City of Angels. The misfits — loosely-organized anti-anti-immigrant protesters — have been met by heavily armed members of both the U.S. Marines and National Guard as the riots extend into their fifth day. And Newsom — after undertaking a calculated shift rightward — is back in full-left mode as Trump’s legally-elastic deportation plan faces a bona fide rebellion.
It was barely four months ago that Newsom and Trump — the latter so disdainful of the former that he often referred to him as
— were all smiles when the president touched down in California on his first official trip after re-entering the White House. Armed with wife
at his side, Trump was there to inspect the damage wrought by the catastrophic wildfires that left thousands homeless and both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ competence in grave doubt. The governor dutifully prostrated himself to his far more powerful — and popular — superior in a flurry of awkward air kisses and bear hugs as Air Force One loomed omnipotently in rear view.
The optics could not have been clearer — California’s economy may be larger than both Germany and Japan, but Trump travels with the might of a nation behind him. And Newsom appeared to get the message — reversing some of his most progressively polarizing positions — such as supporting biological men in women’s sports —
on his newly launched podcast which often features conservative voices.
As Congressional
enfant terrible
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez
doubled-down on her progressive extremism during her Fighting Oligarchy tour with Bernie Sanders last month, Newsom appeared as the party’s most reasonable, likeable, electable adult in the room.
But taking on Trump is a far different matter than challenging the fringes of his own party. And take on Trump Newsom has. Monday, the governor sued the Trump Administration for
“trampling” over California sovereignty”
by sending in the National Guard. “He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” said Newsom, adding — like a canny operator ailing for national prominence — “The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We’re suing him.”
California Attorney General Rob Banta has filed for a restraining order to get the National Guard off Los Angeles’ streets. Trump has declared that Newsom should be arrested for
governing his state. Undeterred, the president,
is taking “unmistakable steps towards authoritarianism”
While the courts determine the legality of Trump’s guard deployment, Newsom’s next moves could determine his political fate. Also on Monday,
Palestinian flags began to appear
alongside the Mexican flags that have come to visually define this nascent movement, suggesting an almost inevitable intersectional shift beyond merely immigration. Meanwhile, in New York,
police arrested dozens of anti-ICE protesters at Trump Tower
in the first signs of the demonstrations expanding nationally.
Newsom, of course, cannot control Gotham’s streets, but control over his own streets will set the tone for how — or even if — the protests can be contained. For the moment, Newsom appears committed to confrontationalism, daring Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan to do his boss’ bidding and
“Arrest me, tough guy. Let’s just get it over with.”
With his posh background in winemaking and luxury real estate, Newsom makes for an unlikely — and frankly unconvincing — heavy. He knows this, Trump knows this and most Californians do, too. Which is why Newsom’s greatest liability isn’t Trump’s wrath, but that of his own fed-up constituents. In late 2023, for instance, California became the first state in the nation
to provide undocumented immigrants with health insurance.
Not only did this add $6.5 billion in costs to a state already facing a $12 billion budget deficit, such largesse fuelled the laissez-faire atmosphere that helped embolden the protesters now coursing through his streets. Meanwhile, Newsom has failed to deliver quality education, affordable housing, efficient public transport or safe streets to his legal, tax-paying residents.
Even before the weekend riots, the Trump-Newsom detente was already crumbling. Back during his wildfires visit in January, Trump made clear that he expected Newsom to rebuild his state – and fast,
leading Newsom to request some $40 billion in aid
. That money has yet to materialize, prompting a frustrated Newsom to challenge a range of Trump policies, including tariffs, which the governor labeled the
Such moves were clearly aimed at reinvigorating — and hopefully expanding — Newsom’s skeptical progressive base as he aims for national office. But considering Trump votes
increased in 57 out of 58 California counties
during last November’s presidential election, that base may have already crumbled.
David Christopher Kaufman is a columnist and editor at the New York Post.
