Newsom Tells Nation That Trump Is Destroying American Democracy

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called on Americans to stand up to President Trump in a nationally televised address.

Gov. Gavin Newsom made the case in a televised address Tuesday evening that President Trump’s decision to send military forces to immigration protests in Los Angeles has put the nation at the precipice of authoritarianism.

The California governor urged Americans to stand up to Mr. Trump, calling it a “perilous moment” for democracy and the country’s long-held legal norms.

“California may be first, but it clearly won’t end here,” Mr. Newsom said, speaking to cameras from a studio in Los Angeles. “Other states are next. Democracy is next.”

“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes — the moment we’ve feared has arrived,” he added.

Mr. Newsom spoke on the fifth day of protests in Los Angeles against federal immigration raids that have sent fear and anger through many communities in Southern California. He said Mr. Trump had “inflamed a combustible situation” by taking over California’s National Guard, and by calling up 4,000 troops and 700 Marines.

“Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles,” Mr. Newsom said. “Well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals, his agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses.”

Mr. Newsom said the president had taken a “wrecking ball” to the norms of American government by obliterating checks and balances.

“Congress is nowhere to be found,” he said. “Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility. The rule of law has increasingly been given way to the rule of Don.”

But he called on people to stand up to Mr. Trump, whom he compared to leaders in authoritarian countries. He referenced the military parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington, which will honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army but also fall on Mr. Trump’s 79th birthday.

“He’s ordering our American heroes, the United States military, and forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past,” Mr. Newsom said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/us/newsom-speech-trump-la-protests.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OE8.Q03c.TT30tytwYpG1&smid=url-share

Irish Star: Newsom fears for Trump’s mental state after president ‘forgets when they last spoke’ within hours

Governor Newsom called out trump’s cognitive state after Trump appeared to mis-remember when they last spoke, telling a reporter that he spoke with the California Governor “yesterday”

Governor Newsom called out Trump’s cognitive state after Trump appeared to mis-remember when they last spoke, telling a reporter that he spoke with the California Governor “yesterday” – however Newsom responded confirming he had no contact with Trump yesterday and said he did not even receive a message or voicemail.

Newsom raised concerns on Trump’s health saying Americans should be worried that the president who is sending troops to LA to handle protests cannot remember the last time he spoke on the phone with Newsom. Trump went on to claim Newsom has caused deaths in the LA region – despite no deaths occurring during five days of protests. It comes as Newsom filed an emergency request in federal court Tuesday to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles.

Newsom also called into question Trump’s mental state after sending thousands of troops to LA without food, water and sleeping provisions as images circulated of National Guardsmen sleeping on the floor.

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/newsom-fears-trumps-mental-state-35371199

New York Times: Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say

In disputes over protests, deportations and tariffs, the president has invoked statutes that may not provide him with the authority he claims.

To hear President Trump tell it, the nation is facing a rebellion in Los Angeles, an invasion by a Venezuelan gang and extraordinary foreign threats to its economy.

Citing this series of crises, he has sought to draw on emergency powers that Congress has scattered throughout the United States Code over the centuries, summoning the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California’s governor, sending scores of migrants to El Salvador without the barest hint of due process and upending the global economy with steep tariffs.

Legal scholars say the president’s actions are not authorized by the statutes he has cited and are, instead, animated by a different goal.

“He is declaring utterly bogus emergencies for the sake of trying to expand his power, undermine the Constitution and destroy civil liberties,” said Ilya Somin, a libertarian professor at Antonin Scalia Law School who represents a wine importer and other businesses challenging some of Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/us/politics/trump-emergency-powers-invasion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.N08.tEO-.S_2DmAE6Yws9&smid=url-share

New York Times: Mexican Flags Have Become Republican Fodder, but Protesters Keep Waving Them

Images of Los Angeles protesters waving Mexican flags have gone viral in conservative circles this week. Many protesters say they are aware of the political reaction but won’t put their flags away.

But protesters said this week that they see the Mexican flag as a symbol of defiance against Mr. Trump’s immigration policies or of solidarity with other Mexican Americans. The flag has become so ubiquitous in recent decades that it is a part of the Southern California landscape, adorning pickup trucks and flapping from bridges. Few mass gatherings occur in the region without a Mexican flag or two, from weekend soccer matches to Los Angeles Dodgers championship parades.

This week, those who kept waving them said that it was important to honor their heritage and not acquiesce to Mr. Trump, even while they recognized the potential political cost. They said that the flag to them was not un-American, that it represented their Chicano roots rather than a national allegiance.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/us/la-protests-mexican-flags-republican-reaction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OE8.g1hA.vlsUVEmrDjkH

Politico: Trump administration considers slashing federal education money for California

California’s public schools receive nearly $8 billion annually from the U.S. Education Department.

The Trump administration is considering cutting federal education funds to California, according to people familiar with the administration’s thinking. The discussion comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump feud over the president’s deployment of the National Guard to LA to stop immigration protests.

A Trump administration employee, who was not permitted to speak publicly about the administration’s plans, told POLITICO the Education Department may stop the disbursement of “formula funds,” which are awards based on a predetermined formula created by Congress. The administration has not yet reached a decision, according to a separate person familiar with the discussions. The timing for a potential decision is also not finalized.

“That is one of the tools and the opportunities that we have with California,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said of the potential to pull the state’s funds on Tuesday at an event hosted by Bloomberg News. “And I think it’s right that we make them aware that that is a risk that they run.”

Sounds like the childish cry baby in the White House is throwing another temper tantrum! 🙁

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/10/trump-administration-weighs-pulling-federal-education-grants-for-california-00397026

Associated Press: LA police swiftly enforce downtown curfew as protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown continue

Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests Tuesday night.

Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble.

The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown and the curfew covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers).

[Gov. Gavin] Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities.

https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-protests-ice-national-guard-f39ba39287f628ce8c8be47c92ea6147

NBC News: As immigration raids continue, ICE protests spread coast to coast

Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. A curfew was imposed across downtown L.A. until 6 a.m.

Activists had also gathered in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere, rebuking the Trump administration’s tough stance against migrants and its aggressive round-up efforts, which Democratic leaders in California have criticized as contributing to a sense of fear across communities.

NBC News has counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast since Monday. Some involved only a few dozen people, while others attracted thousands.

The protests took place as federal immigration raids continued nationwide Tuesday, including a “targeted enforcement operation” in Los Angeles, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as a raid at a meat processing facility in Omaha, Nebraska.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/anti-ice-protests-held-coast-coast-l-unrest-national-movement-grows-rcna211980

New York Times: Trump Declares Dubious Emergencies to Amass Power, Scholars Say

In disputes over protests, deportations and tariffs, the president has invoked statutes that may not provide him with the authority he claims.

To hear President Trump tell it, the nation is facing a rebellion in Los Angeles, an invasion by a Venezuelan gang and extraordinary foreign threats to its economy.

Citing this series of crises, he has sought to draw on emergency powers that Congress has scattered throughout the United States Code over the centuries, summoning the National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of California’s governor, sending scores of migrants to El Salvador without the barest hint of due process and upending the global economy with steep tariffs.

Legal scholars say the president’s actions are not authorized by the statutes he has cited and are, instead, animated by a different goal.

“He is declaring utterly bogus emergencies for the sake of trying to expand his power, undermine the Constitution and destroy civil liberties,” said Ilya Somin, a libertarian professor at Antonin Scalia Law School who represents a wine importer and other businesses challenging some of Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/us/politics/trump-emergency-powers-invasion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.N08.tEO-.S_2DmAE6Yws9&smid=url-share

NBC News: Gavin Newsom locks horns with Trump in a politically defining moment

Newsom’s 2028 presidential aspirations hang in the balance as the eyes of the nation are on California’s clash with immigration authorities.

The battle between the president and the governor of the country’s largest state instantly turned Newsom into the face of resistance to President Donald Trump’s expansive interpretation of the authorities of his office and mass-deportation campaign. Newsom, who is a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has been taking heavy criticism from within his own party over his efforts — in part through his new podcast — to cast himself in the role of conciliator.

Newsom delivered an address Tuesday night that aimed squarely at Trump and was clearly intended for a national audience.

“This isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles,” he said. “When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commander the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. 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 has also been mounting his own messaging offensive, including on X, where he posted what appeared to be photos of troops crowded on a floor, apparently attempting to rest.

“You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump,” Newsom said on X.

On Sunday, Newsom chided Trump “border czar” Tom Homan, saying in an MSNBC interview: “Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”

Late Monday, Newsom sat for a “Pod Save America” podcast recording in which he cast Trump’s actions as unconstitutional and said some of those assigned to Los Angeles — in his view, unnecessarily — were pried away from fentanyl investigations, and potentially from border operations, for “this theatrical display of toughness by a president of the United States who is unhinged.”

By Tuesday morning, Newsom accused Trump and his top White House deportation architect Stephen Miller of sheltering insurrectionists.

“The only people defending insurrectionists are you and @realDonaldTrump. Or, are we pretending like you didn’t pardon 1500 of them?”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna211813

New York Post: Armed National Guard troops stand guard for ICE agents as they make immigration raids in LA

Armed National Guard troops are accompanying immigration agents as they carry out mass deportation raids on the streets of Los Angeles.

The troops, who were mobilized by President Trump, are providing “operational security” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after they faced attacks and threats from anti-ICE rioters, sources told The Post, which first broke the story.

It’s “in case s–t hits the fan,” said a federal law enforcement source.

… some are concerned that their presence could make the federal immigration agents an even bigger target, the first source said. “They’re showing up with Humvees and uniforms,” the source said.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/national-guard-troops-to-join-ice-agents-on-la-immigration-raids-sources