The California governor blasted Trump amid the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism.
“It’s just an extraordinary moment, and I don’t want to overstate it, but these are the words of an authoritarian,” Newsom said in a Monday interview with POLITICO. “Whether he acts on it or not, the chill that creates is real, and it’s a serious moment, very serious.”
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Newsom, Bass and other Democratic leaders believe Trump’s moves were designed to provoke protesters to produce footage showing a major American city in chaos — as well as an attempt to distract from the uneven economy hastened by his trade standoffs and his messy breakup with Elon Musk.
“He is unhinged, and he’s acting recklessly, and the threat of the Marines coming in the United States, this is a very serious and sober moment. We are going to stand firm,” Newsom said.
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“There’s maybe a second branch of government left in this country,” Newsom said. “We obviously lost the legislative branch to Trump and Trumpism. We pray that the courts are still holding firm.”
