Sacramento – Gov. Gavin Newsom refuses to compete with President Trump for trans youth in women's sports. He forced him into the runway apron after the Los Angeles wildfires to be peaceful with Republican leaders.
Just last week, he hesitated and said the rumor was spinning with a large amount of federal funds cut to California.
The bondage of the news agency ended when Trump deployed the California National Guard onto the streets of Los Angeles to quell protests against immigrant attacks.
“I'm still willing to do my best to get the support of the people I represent and everything to promote this cause, but I'll do it, but when we see the trampling of the Constitution and the rule of law, I won't do it,” Newsom said in an interview with The Times. “So we all have red lines. That's my red lines.”
Newsom said that in the largest cities in the Golden State, tensions between troops arrived and law enforcement escalated, which he blamed Trump for intentional inciting seeds. Whether it is the news agency, the president's actions have also quickly escalated the governor to the frontline of Democratic resistance to Trump, who has been reluctant to accept after his party lost the presidential election in November.
On Monday, Trump said his border chest Tom Homan should follow the threat of arresting the governor. The president believes California is out of control and the news agency is incompetent because they do not intervene and end the unrest or protect federal immigration agents from protesters.
“If I were Tom, I would have done it,” Trump said. “I think it's great. Gavin loves publicity, but I think it's going to be a great thing. He did a horrible job.”
Newsom also lured Homan: “Come and come and go and find me, tough guy.”
Newsom's position as a national leader who has become a target of immigration for the federal government, considers the risks and rewards of running for the White House in 2028.
Democrats and progressives are eager for leaders to challenge Trump and his controversial policies. The Democrats in the country quickly entered social media to publicize the governor’s challenge to Homan’s arrest. The handcuffs of Trump Justice Department officials may elevate the news magazine to a democratic martyr status.
President Trump spoke to media members on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving in the Marine Corps on June 9, 2025. Trump on Monday suggested that California Gov. Gavin Newsom should be arrested for his turmoil in Los Angeles.
(Yuri Gripas/Abaca/bloomberg by Getty image)
“In a sense, he is guiding Trump because he knows that Trump has benefited a lot from his criminal convictions,” said John Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College.
Even without arrest, political struggles could promote the status of the news agency and the Democrats.
But immigration is one of Trump’s best policy issues among voters, and it’s not an ideal political struggle for any Democrat with a presidential aspiration.
“This is Donald Trump's talent,” said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at San Diego. “He is picking these struggles for executive power and the federal government on his most popular political terrain: immigration, trans athletes, dei, 'wake' universities. He is picking these governance struggles, and he thinks he can win politically.”
For Newsom, the raids offer an opportunity to challenge the president's narrative that his immigration policy is to evacuate criminals and protect the border, Kussel said.
In the interview, the news agency repeated that the Trump administration targeted children of elementary school classrooms and law-abiding citizens who have been in California for a decade or more.
He also deployed Trump's troops to Los Angeles in a range that was about more than just immigrants.
“It's something bigger,” Newsom said. “It's a certain force and control over every aspect of our lives. It's about destroying the order of the Constitution. It's about demolishing the rule of law. It's about the cornerstone of our founding fathers, and they roll in the graves.”
Trump's Los Angeles takeover could undermine the work the governor did to show his more modest policy stance on the United States.
While choosing to fight Trump wisely, Newsom uses his podcast to express his belief that it is unfair for trans athletes to participate in women and women's sports. Through interviews with controversial conservative figures like Stephen K. Bannon, the governor tried to prove that he had nothing to do with anyone’s political affiliation.
Newsom has been strategically pursuing his attacks on Trump, such as criticizing tariffs on the president's political vulnerability.
“Anyone who wants to lead the Democratic Party needs to support or at least abide by the party’s default, but Democrats need to appeal to the wider public, and so far this has not helped,” Pitney said of the fight against immigration.
Images leaked from Los Angeles also created election vulnerability for the governor.
“The popular news magazine is a 2028 Democratic candidate, and you want to see pictures of Waymos burning down the streets of Los Angeles with the tagline “What Newsom does for California, what will he do for America,” Pitney said.
Kouser believes that Newsom will be responsible for all the shortcomings of California during the presidential campaign, whether he supports Trump's immigration attacks or not.
Despite the lawsuit announced Monday fighting the court in court, he has little to do to stop the federal government by supporting peaceful protests and using public podiums. This situation underscores the challenges of Newsom and any state leaders interested in the White House.
“It's a blessing and curse for a governor who wants to run for a higher position. When something happens in their state, they will catch the attention of the country even if they are not the political basis for them to rather fight,” Kuser said.
