There’s an old saying that a perfect marriage would unite a sadist and masochist who could be mutually supportive of each other’s neuroses. The adage comes to mind as President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom exchange unpleasantries over immigration and money, while making overtures to their political bases.
Trump based his White House campaigns on depicting undocumented immigrants — and quite possibly legal ones as well — as menaces who undermine the U.S. economy and prey upon innocent Americans.
California, of course, has the most undocumented residents of any stateand its governments have done everything they could to legalize their status, declaring themselves as sanctuaries and making federal immigration officials unwelcome.
Trump, seeking to make an example of California, has dispatched teams of immigration officers into factories, businesses, churches, courthouses and other gathering places, searching for immigrants to be deported, and threatened students and others visiting on visas.
In response, pro-immigrant activists staged demonstrations in major citiesover the weekend, and the one in Los Angeles turned violent. It gave Trump the excuse he obviously wanted to dispatch National Guard troops into the city — needed, he said, because Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had not acted forcefully.
“Governor Gavin Newscum and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots,” Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Trump’s aggressive acts were red meat for those who view California as the fountainhead of permissive behavior.
Predictably, Newsom — who portrays his state as a model of tolerance — immediately denounced Trump’s actions on social media and appeared on MSNBC, the cable channel favored by left-leaning voters. On Monday, California filed suit challenging Trump’s power to activate the National Guard without the state’s permission.
“He’s exacerbated the conditions,” Newsom said during the interview. “He’s lit the proverbial match, he’s putting fuel on this fire ever since he announced he’s taking over the National Guard.”
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, suggested on Fox News that California politicians who try to thwart the immigration roundups might find themselves behind bars. Newsom dared Homan to make good on his threat.
“Arrest me,” Newsom told MSNBC. “Let’s just get it over with, tough guy. I don’t give a damn … Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”
When the demonstrations erupted, Trump and Newsom were already engaged in another exchange of rhetoric over money. After CNN reported that the Trump administration was considering a massive freeze on aid to California’s universities, Newsom vowed resistance and suggested that the state could block federal taxes on Californians.
“Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back,” the Democratic governor said in an X post on Friday.
He was referring to an analysis by the Rockefeller Institute declaring that California taxpayers send $83 billion a year more to Washington than state and local governments receive.
“Maybe it’s time to cut that off,” Newsom added.
That’s being silly, of course, because the state cannot prevent the feds from collecting taxes in California. The suggestion still had what was probably Newsom’s desired effect, garnering massive national and even international media attention.
It also drew, of course, a sharp retort from White House spokesperson Kush Desai, who cited California’s “lunatic” policies.
“The Trump administration is committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream,” Desai said in a statement. “No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the administration have been made, and any discussion suggesting otherwise should be considered pure speculation.”
The symbiosis of the Trump-Newsom vaudeville act is truly remarkable, each abetting the other’s desire to enhance his image as a warrior for moral righteousness.
Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics. Folsom Times is an authorized CalMatters media partner in an effort to keep our local community up to date on happenings in the State Capitol.
