Newsom vs. Trump: The Feud Rekindles as Federal Troops Descend on Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA – Remember when California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump seemed to be playing nice? It wasn’t that long ago – earlier this year, in fact – when Newsom was seeking federal aid for California’s devastating wildfires and perhaps even softening his political stance with an eye on a future presidential run.

Well, those days are definitively over. The gloves are well and truly off.

A dramatic standoff is unfolding in Los Angeles, where President Trump has taken the extraordinary step of federalizing the National Guard, dispatching troops to the city – and to assist in arresting migrants – despite Governor Newsom’s strong objections.¹ Newsom’s response? A lawsuit against the administration, accusing them of an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism” and a blatant abuse of power.

This isn’t just a political squabble; it’s a high-stakes clash between the leader of the Republican Party and a Democrat with clear ambitions for his own party’s leadership. And the backdrop? Federal troops deployed to a major American city, first to manage unrest, and now to focus on immigration enforcement – a core tenet of Trump’s agenda.

The War of Words Heats Up

President Trump wasted no time in weighing in. On Thursday, he claimed that without military intervention, Los Angeles “would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years.” He then took to his social media platform, misspellings and all, to assert that Newsom had “totally lost control of the situation,” adding, “He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!”

For Trump, this is another prime opportunity to battle with Newsom, who leads a heavily Democratic state the former president has consistently criticized. For Newsom, this feud offers a national stage – a chance to prove himself as a strong leader capable of standing up to Trump, a quality the Democratic Party is actively seeking in a post-2024 election landscape.

“He has shown he’s not going to be intimidated, and we’re all for that,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of Newsom just yesterday.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, a former California resident, views Newsom’s motivation as clear: “This is all about Gavin Newsom running for president in 2028, and what he is hoping is that becoming the face of a resistance to Trump is going to jog him to victory in Democratic primaries.”

California: Trump’s Long-Standing Foe

California has been a frequent target for Trump, a state that overwhelmingly rejected him in his presidential campaigns. Over the years, he has:

• Threatened to intervene in the state’s severe homelessness crisis.
• Vowed to withhold federal wildfire aid, leveraging it in a dispute over water rights.
• Called for police to shoot people robbing stores.
• Warned residents that “your children are in danger” due to illegal immigration.

As a candidate in 2023, Trump claimed California, once a symbol of American prosperity, was “becoming a symbol of our nation’s decline,” adding, “The world is being dumped into California… Prisoners. Terrorists. Mental patients.”

From Collaboration to Confrontation: A Quick Turnaround

It’s a stark contrast to just a few months ago. In January, Newsom was on the tarmac in Los Angeles, shaking hands and warmly greeting Trump and the First Lady as they surveyed wildfire damage.⁵ They spoke together to reporters, promising cooperation and even praising each other. Newsom thanked Trump for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, recalling, “You were there for us during COVID. I don’t forget that.”

Newsom even traveled to Washington in February, pressing Trump for more wildfire relief, calling their meeting one marked by “collaboration and cooperation.”⁶ This cordial approach was part of Newsom’s broader strategy to appeal to the political center, attempting to be a pragmatist for a Democratic Party reeling from recent election losses. He even launched a podcast to learn from the “Make America Great Again” movement’s successes. But that period of détente is clearly over.

Democracy “Under Assault”?

The current clash intensified after Trump’s decision to deploy troops for protest response and now immigration raids. Newsom claims Trump didn’t warn him about the deployment during a Friday phone call, a claim Trump disputes.

After filing his emergency federal court request on Tuesday to block the National Guard and Marines from assisting with immigration raids in Los Angeles, Newsom delivered a powerful public address.⁸ He accused Trump of going beyond arresting criminals and issued a chilling warning: “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 week’s lawsuit isn’t California’s only legal battle with the Trump administration this year. In April, Newsom sued over Trump’s sweeping tariffs, arguing they would inflate prices and cause billions in damages to the state.

And the disputes keep coming. Just this month, the Trump administration signaled its intent to cut federal funding for California’s long-delayed high-speed rail project.¹⁰ There have been threats to pull federal funding if California didn’t bar transgender students from girls’ sports, and the Justice Department has warned districts about legal trouble if they don’t comply.¹¹ Today, Trump is even expected to sign a measure blocking California’s vehicle emissions rules.

The stage is set for an ongoing political drama, with California, and its ambitious governor, at the center of the storm.