Gavin Newsom began his speech as a state governor. He ended it as a potential president

Sydney Morning Herald

2 days ago

A month ago, Newsom seemed at times in danger of fading to the sidelines. At 57, he was playing out his final years as governor, since he is barred by term limits from seeking a third term.
He was facing the thankless burden of managing a huge state budget deficit, overseeing the rebuilding of Los Angeles after the January wildfires and grappling with Trump, as the president moved to undercut signature California programs, from high-speed rail to clean air measures. For much of 2024, Newsom had been closely tied to Joe Biden, acting as one of the former president's surrogates and defenders before Biden was forced out of the race.
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Newsom had sought, in the first days of the Trump administration, to raise his profile and to influence the direction of the Democratic Party. He hosted a podcast – This is Gavin Newsom – in which he gave a platform to some of the leading figures in the Trump movement, including Bannon. He met Trump with a handshake at LAX when the president came to tour the damage from the fires. And he broke with many Democrats in saying that he thought that the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports was 'deeply unfair'.
Those actions made Newsom an unpopular figure with parts of the Democratic Party. It's unclear whether his abrupt change, from saying Democrats needed to work with Trump to his searing attacks on the president Tuesday, will feed apprehensions among some Democrats that Newsom is inauthentic or an opportunist.
But Newsom's stature, at least in his party, was likely elevated by a barrage of attacks from Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders in the aftermath of the demonstrations against the Trump administration's immigration policies. Trump suggested Newsom be placed under arrest; Johnson said he should be 'tarred and feathered.' As a result, the lame-duck governor of California has emerged as arguably the most prominent Democratic foil to Trump.
For his part, Newsom has seemed to relish parrying with Republicans on social media, responding to their comments with acid retorts that won him cheers from Democrats who had, not so long ago, been sceptical of Newsom's friendly podcast banter with right-wing figures.
'It gives Gavin the ability to be a leader of a resistance that is not contrived,' Rob Stutzman, a political strategist and a senior consultant to former Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said. 'It's real, because Trump has attacked him and his state.'
For all the plaudits he may be winning from Democrats, Newsom could face tough going should he decide to run. He comes from California, the symbol of blue America and the home of Kamala Harris, the former vice president who lost to Trump in November's election. And these next few weeks could prove increasingly difficult, as Newsom finds his fortunes tied both to what happens on the streets of Los Angeles and to the actions of the man in the White House.
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David Axelrod, the former chief political aide to Barack Obama, said Newsom's 'message was very powerful'. But he warned that it is difficult to at once 'admonish the president for his provocative, escalatory actions,' while at the same time urging 'protesters to show restraint'.
Still, with his bristling attacks on Trump, Newsom may have positioned himself this week as the leader of the very resistance he once eschewed. The question is whether he can now do what so many other Democrats have failed to do over these chaotic five months: unite the party behind a strategy to weaken a president who has seemed invincible.