California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is meeting the moment, Democrats say.<\/p>\n
Amid the growing storm over the Trump administration\u2019s response to protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which hit a new crescendo Thursday when officials put Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) in handcuffs, Newsom is doing what his party wants.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s punching back, and he\u2019s going on offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it’s been a horrible week for the country, Gov. Newsom has been a credible voice of so many people’s discontent and anxiety about Trump’s America,\u201d said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. \u201cDemocrats want people who can take on Donald Trump, and he is seen as someone who has been taking him on.\u201d <\/p>\n
The ICE raids in Los Angeles, the biggest city in Newsom\u2019s state, had the possibility of becoming political quicksand for the California governor.<\/p>\n
Trump on Saturday sent in the National Guard without Newsom\u2019s consent, amid images of burning cars and masked protesters. Trump justified the decision by arguing that things were going out of control on Newsom\u2019s watch; Newsom and Democrats argued he deliberately provoked a larger confrontation and escalated the situation.<\/p>\n
There was some risk to Newsom\u2019s decision to fight Trump, who maintains a number of protesters were breaking the law and sees both immigration and law and order as strong issues on which to batter Democrats.<\/p>\n
But so far, it has been far from a disaster for Newsom, who seems to be winning more support.<\/p>\n
And the video of Padilla being forced to the ground and handcuffed by officers after seeking to ask a question to Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem gives he and other Democrats new images to use against the White House.<\/p>\n
It feeds into the argument that Trump is going too far.<\/p>\n
Democratic strategist Basil Smikle said Newsom has been good at framing Trump\u2019s actions as a \u201cmassive overreaction and abuse of authority.\u201d <\/p>\n
And the fight comes as many Democrats have been frustrated with a party they see as too cowed by Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen voters say they want a fight, this is what they\u2019re referring to \u2014 even as Trump threatens Newsom\u2019s arrest,\u201d Smikle said.<\/p>\n
Newsom has spoken directly to the public\u00a0in speeches, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks. He is slapping Trump on the social platform X. He is even using Taylor Swift lyrics on TikTok to get under Trump’s skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what Gavin does best,\u201d said one longtime ally of the California governor. \u201cHe is absolutely unapologetic about getting up in someone’s face and calling out their weaknesses. That’s why he’s so effective in going after Trump and MAGA Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Democrats had soured on Newsom earlier this year.<\/p>\n
After he launched a podcast, for example, he received scrutiny for playing host to the likes of Steve Bannon, the Trump loyalist, and Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist. <\/p>\n
It looked to many as if Newsom was trying to position himself as more of centrist while turning his back on his party.<\/p>\n
Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said while Newsom\u2019s current \u201cposture\u201d could do well in the Democratic primary should he run for president, a bigger question looms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is will this be the version of Newsom who shows up or the one who was hosting right wing podcasters a few weeks ago?\u201d Vale said.<\/p>\n
He was also seen as trying to cozy up to Trump on the heels of the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged parts of Southern California earlier this year. It came at a time when other Democrats including fellow governors, like JB Pritzker of Illinois, said Democrats should oppose Trump at all costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption,” Pritzker said in April. “But I am now.\u201d <\/p>\n
Democrats have criticized Newsom for being too focused on his political prospects while as one put it, \u201cmissing the boat on issues important back home.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a criticism of him that he always has his eyes on the next thing,\u201d one strategist said.<\/p>\n
But Democrats \u2014 even those who have rolled their eyes at Newsom in recent months \u2014 say they appreciate the tone he has taken in standing up to Trump on the call-up of the National Guard and his over-the-top immigration policies.<\/p>\n
In a speech on Tuesday, Newsom was blunt: “What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment,\u201d he said during his speech. \u201cDo not give it to him.”<\/p>\n
\u201cIf some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant \u2014 based only on suspicion or skin color \u2014 then none of us are safe,\u201d he said. \u201cAuthoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about all of us. This is about you,\u201d he continued. \u201cCalifornia may be first \u2014 but it clearly won\u2019t end there. Other states are next. Democracy is next.\u201d <\/p>\n
Garry South, a longtime Democratic strategist in California who served as a senior adviser to Newsom during his first bid for governor, said while the speech was effective, the most palpable moment for Newsom this week was when he egged on Trump\u2019s border czar Tom Homan this week and said to come arrest him.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It] had Democrats all over doing high-fives and fist bumps,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the kind of confidence that Simmons said would go a long way should Newsom decide to run for president in 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cCourage and confidence are going to be large markers in the 2028 race,\u201d he said, adding that Newsom has proven to have both.<\/p>\n
And of all the would-be candidates, Simmons added, Newsom\u2019s name has come up the most by those outside of the political class, \u201cunsolicited and unprompted.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a reputation out there for being a courageous Democrat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is meeting the moment, Democrats say. Amid the growing storm over the Trump administration\u2019s response to protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which<\/p>\n