Newsom gains a step in brawl with Trump: ‘It'll help Gavin — especially if he gets arrested'

Politico

3 days ago

President Donald Trump has catapulted Gavin Newsom to the front of the Democratic resistance.
The California governor had faded from national prominence as public attention shifted to Washington and, in his home state, the deliberations over Kamala Harris' political future. But as Trump and his allies make Newsom their foil in a brawl over immigration unrest in Los Angeles and the president's unilateral deployment of the National Guard and Marines, they are also elevating his stature on the left.
No longer is Newsom responding to criticism, often from fellow Democrats, over aligning with Republicans on transgender athletes or proposing to scale back health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Instead, as Trump turns California into a test of his power to impose his will on blue states, Newsom is the Democrat standing in his way.
'We're at an inflection point in the country's history,' said South Carolina state Rep. JA Moore, a lawmaker who has been deeply involved in his state's early presidential primary politics. 'I see in this moment that the governor is fighting like hell, not just for the people of LA or the people of California or even the country. He's fighting for democracy itself.'
In the span of several days, Newsom has become a ubiquitous antagonist, excoriating Trump administration officials on social media and on television. He has personalized the conflict by daring the administration to follow through on a threat by Trump's border czar Tom Homan to arrest him. (On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he should be 'tarred and feathered' as an alternative). He is forcing a legal reckoning by suing to block Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines.
On Tuesday, Newsom's press office mocked Trump with an X post casting Trump as a Star Wars villain. The governor's response to his threatened arrest — 'come and get me, tough guy' — turned into a rallying cry that's getting noticed by Democrats nationally and in states that will be key to his potential 2028 prospects.
Democrats have united behind Newsom, with top party officials echoing his warnings that Trump is unnecessarily thrusting the nation into crisis. The party's official social media account posted a glam shot of a stoic-looking Newsom emblazoned with his 'come and get me' quote. Democratic governors began reaching out over the weekend to see how they could assist, according to multiple people with knowledge of the developments granted anonymity to speak about private discussions, producing a statement lambasting the Trump administration.
Signatories included Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential 2028 contender who earlier this year assailed Newsom for hosting Trump counselor Steve Bannon on his podcast. Governors were motivated to act by an 'abuse of power that was much bigger than just one state,' one of the people familiar with the letter's drafting said.
It is a perilous issue for Democrats, who have suffered from public sentiment favoring Trump's hardline posture on immigration, and the dynamic cuts both ways. Trump himself mused that 'Gavin loves the publicity' in response to a question about a potential arrest. Nightly images of protesters setting fires or clashing with law enforcement, even as Newsom has condemned demonstrators who destroy property, may play into Trump's argument for federal intervention.
But it's an issue — and a governor — Democrats are seizing as they look to regain their political footing in Trump's Washington. And if the feuding is benefiting Trump, it may ultimately improve Newsom's prospects with his own base, too.
'I think this is helping Trump broadly,' said Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican consultant who opposes Trump. 'I also think it'll help Gavin — especially if he gets arrested.'
In California, the crisis has led Democrats to close ranks behind Newsom while shifting attention from budget negotiations that alienated some key Newsom allies as he looked to close a massive deficit. Newsom joined other Democrats in demanding the release of David Huerta, a prominent labor leader who was detained during a protest.
'We've been waiting to feel like the governor is standing up and fighting for California and every Californian, and he seems to be doing that,' said California Labor Federation leader Lorena Gonzalez.
Even onetime foes, like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, gave props for Newsom's pugilistic stance.
'I've criticized him in the past … but I commend him for what he's doing,' Villaraigosa said. 'You stand up to a bully. You don't let a bully take away our First Amendment rights.'
The standoff marks a return to the arena for a governor who initially sought to avoid open strife with the president. Newsom worked with the Trump administration to secure wildfire aid and invited MAGA figures like Bannon on his podcast as part of a bid to make inroads with voters who swung away from the party in 2024.
But the crisis roiling California's largest city has propelled Newsom back into the familiar role of anti-Trump combatant. This time, it is different from previous legal and policy clashes over matters like climate policy — an explosive showdown about the fundamental balance of power in America.
Rather than focus on immigration policies like California's 'sanctuary' limits on cooperation between local law enforcement and the federal government, Newsom has framed the fight as a matter of safeguarding democracy against authoritarianism — a microcosm of Democrats' case against Trump and a key gauge of their ability to stop him.
'If this doesn't become about immigration but becomes about federal deployment of military domestically,' said Rob Stutzman, a California-based Republican consultant who opposes Trump, '(Newsom) may be onto the issue that propels him not just within the party but beyond the party as a bulwark against a potential threat to democracy.'
Trump and key policymakers like Stephen Miller, an architect of the White House's immigration agenda, have cast the conflict as part of an existential quest to rescue Democratic cities from unchecked migration, and they have vilified Newsom as the embodiment of Democratic failings.
'This is a result of the Democratic Party's failed policies and failed leadership,' said California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin. 'The president took decisive action to restore order, and I think that's something our governor should've done sooner.'
Democrats in Los Angeles and beyond, by contrast, see Newsom as a shield against Trump's efforts to intimidate blue jurisdictions into compliance. Courtni Pugh, a Los Angeles based consultant who has worked for Newsom, said she has begun carrying proof of her naturalization with her.
'He is showing up and he's showing up strong,' Pugh said, 'and I think LA needs that kind of unwavering strength in this time of real fear.'