California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a scathing address Tuesday night that took aim at President Donald Trump’s federalization of the National Guard and use of Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles.
Newsom, a Democrat who is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, blasted Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics in remarks designed for a national audience after days of clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
“This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived,” Newsom said.
“Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there,” he said.
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Trump has activated thousands of National Guard members, without a request from Newsom, and deployed more than 700 Marines in California since the protests began Friday.
He has also lobbed a barrage of criticism and personal insults at Newsom, at one point suggesting he should face arrest after he dared “border czar” Tom Homan to apprehend him.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump told reporters Monday, calling Newsom “grossly incompetent.”
In his speech Tuesday, Newsom argued that Trump has a record of supporting violence when it suits him.
“Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. And by the way, Trump, he’s not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves him,” Newsom said, citing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“The rule of law has increasingly been given way to the rule of Don,” he added.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Tuesday that there have been “several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,” with 378 people arrested since Saturday. A curfew in downtown Los Angeles took effect Tuesday evening.
Protests have also unfolded in other cities across the country, with demonstrations opposing the Trump administration’s immigration policies and deportation efforts in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.