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.
The Democratic governor, who is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, blasted the president’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 since the protests began on Friday.
He has also lobbed a barrage of criticism and personal insults toward Newsom, at one point suggesting the governor should face arrest after Newsom dared “border czar” Tom Homan to apprehend him.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump told reporters on 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 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 Department chief Jim McDonnell said during a news conference Tuesday night that there have been “several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,” and that 378 people have been arrested since Saturday.
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