_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
In response to violent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has focused his ire on the Trump administration rather than the rioters.
After protesters engaged in rioting, burning vehicles, throwing rocks at officers, and defacing buildings, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard without Newsom's permission, marking the first such action since 1965.
Newsom, eyeing a run for the Democratic presidential nomination, blasted Trump’s actions as “chaotic” and “reckless” — even as the president’s deportation agenda remains popular.
_THE FACTS_
President Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines without Gov. Newsom's permission.
Newsom called the deployment "illegal" and "unconstitutional" and filed a lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order, claiming breach of state sovereignty.
The judge, a Clinton appointee, rejected Newsom’s request to halt the deployment.
Last night, in an address to Californians, Newsom portrayed the federal mobilization as an attack on democracy.
Newsom claimed ICE was simply trying to meet "an arbitrary deportation quota" rather than addressing illegal immigration, and denied there was a problem before Trump mobilized troops.
Border czar Tom Homan warned against harboring illegal aliens and impeding law enforcement are felonies; Newsom dared Homan to come and arrest him.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell stated the violence was "getting increasingly worse.”
LAPD made 113 arrests during Monday’s chaos — 14 for looting, one for assault with a deadly weapon; two officers were injured.
Sheriff Chad Bianco of nearby Riverside County urged Newsom to "put his phone down" as he was "doing nothing but fueling this process."
_INSIGHTS_
While Gavin Newsom’s posture may help him win a 2028 Democratic primary contest, his response could prove politically damaging for a general election.
By directing his anger at federal enforcement while downplaying the unrest, he puts himself at odds with the majority of Americans who back Trump’s deportation agenda. Yet to secure the Democratic nomination, Newsom may have little choice but to oppose Trump’s immigration policies.
This underscores the problem facing Democrats: their base supports policies strongly opposed by the majority of the country, trapping their potential future nominees into taking unpopular positions.
