California’s Governor Allowed Trump To Usurp State Authority On Purpose

The cowardice of Gavin Newsom is on display right now, but you won’t hear that from Republican commentators or politicians. That should strike you as strange. Democrats who used to despise him have fallen silent and thrown their metaphorical or actual support behind Newsom in his kayfabe with Donald Trump. That should be less surprising to you.

However, the Democrats and liberals who are supporting Gavin Newsom now are doing so because he has convinced them that he is the biggest and best shot they have to oppose Donald Trump. That part, sadly, is not true. It’s a lie. Gavin Newsom is a liar. He is not telling the truth about his relationship with Donald Trump nor is he being honest about his overall policy position related to ICE.

I am telling you, reader, that you are witnessing a fake fight between them.

Consider: Public Comments From Politicians Are Not Always An Honest Portrayal of Reality

When President Donald Trump federalized California’s National Guard and sent troops into Los Angeles, the headlines got filled with images of defiant protests and fiery rhetoric from Governor Gavin Newsom.

Newsom’s public statements seem totally unequivocal. He referred to the move as “unlawful, unethical, and unconstitutional.” I know that those words said in that order and in context sound like they are adversarial.

However, the net effect of Newsom’s comments are a too-little too-late lawsuit that will ultimately have no effect. Real people are being victimized. Actual property is being destroyed. True dangers exist out there right now. Undoing the federalization of his National Guard in a week or a month won’t matter. That is not a real fight. The consequences are nonexistent. Donald Trump would get away with this, and be able to do it in other states with a precedent of how governors should roll over for him.

Newsom Is A Two-Faced Scumbag

Newsom is promising to fight back and defend California, yet he is either incapable or unwilling to do so. I think he is absolutely capable of fighting back for real. So the fact that he isn’t should tell you he doesn’t want to. Or worse, he isn’t just standing by, he is colluding with the Trump administration to enable this action.

If you told the truth, you’d admit that you have never considered what exactly a governor might do in order to protect the sovereignty of their state from a tyrannical President. It’s okay. But since you have never thought that before, just slow down in your analysis and repeating talking points you hear from those you trust.

Think for yourself here, and determine what it might mean for a governor to oppose a President’s overreach of military authority. There is a terrifying prospect of civil war between military factions operated by commanders in chief. State vs. Federal. Yet, that is a phenomenon that does occur to some degree in courts every day. It has spilled out into the streets like this from time to time as well.

I Protect The People From Federal Governmental Overreach

In 2024, between the two major hurricanes that plowed through the state of Florida, Biden began overreaching with DHS/FEMA. Without consent or request from the state of Florida, Biden dispatched DHS/FEMA to take over local handling of disaster response.

Remember by the way, that ICE is technically a division of DHS, just like FEMA is. I was told that the dump sites were being blocked, and eventually literally locked by FEMA – at city dump sites – which was going to result in debris that could kill people and destroy property remaining on the streets. Some dump trucks were told by FEMA to dump debris back on their customers’ lawns. This infuriated me, and without trying to figure out the reason for this, I sprang into action.

I quickly alerted state officials, city officials, Congress members, and dozens of civil attorneys who were poised to sue the hell out of the Biden administration and/or state if it was allowed to proceed. As a result, overnight, governor DeSantis ordered local officials to cut the locks off the dump sites, and expelled FEMA. Keep in mind this is the same governor who said his state National Guard would operate the ports if strikes persisted.

Rhetorical Disagreements vs. Policy Partnerships

These kinds of breakdowns between federal and state authority may be commonplace, however, the last 5 years or so have been amplified. 

There are many other examples I could give of breakdowns between city and state authority complicated by federal overreach. There are also several other examples I could give of how I personally intervened to attempt to stop calamity. It is very difficult, but possible to do. In fact, there are much better solutions in California than allowing Newsom to leave the dictator door open for the President.

For the time being, consider this instance with Newsom and California and President Trump as a clear cut case study in how a governor can pretend to oppose a President but collude together privately. It quickly became clear to me, that Newsom’s public opposition to Trump will not translate into comprehensive protection for those most at risk.

The gap between rhetoric and policy is a critical issue for anyone relying on party allegiance or gubernatorial statements for safety.

The Reality Behind the Newsom & Trump Rhetoric

California is considered one of, if not the most “progressive” state. Despite his attempt to rebrand, Newsom is also widely regarded as an incredibly radically left-wing type of person. Part of that movement includes sanctuary cities. Though many Americans have heard this term, if you are unfamiliar with the distinction, it essentially creates a safe haven – protections from ICE. Cities and states across the country, mostly run by Democrats, create policies like this to allow them to not share information with ICE.

Despite the image of Los Angeles, they only passed their sanctuary city law in November of 2024, the same month Donald Trump was announced the next President of the United States. This decision in Los Angeles was solidified with a unanimous city council vote. The promise is simple: local authorities would not cooperate with ICE, and California would serve as a bulwark against federal overreach.

There Is An Emergency of How Many Emergencies Trump Has Declared

Yet, when Trump declared a state of emergency and dispatched the National Guard, that promise was quickly tested. That promise failed miserably, thus far. In fact, it is evidence that LAPD and the state National Guard are defying local ordinances. It is more than just the unprecedented deployment of the National Guard by the President. The President has done this unprecedented thing in violation of local laws.

Yet Gavin Newsom is mostly demonstrating concern for the usurping of his power, which is not specifically the primary concern of the public. Despite Newsom’s vocal opposition, the Guard was federalized and deployed, ICE raids continue, and protesters have been met with excessive force. The spectacle of resistance on the part of Newsom: press conferences, a pending lawsuit, and social media sparring – mask a sobering reality: 

the machinery of state government was not mobilized to protect the people.

It was mobilized to cover up the unholy union between Trump & Newsom.

Newsom’s Statewide ICE Policy vs. Sanctuary Cities

The disconnect goes deeper than this single crisis.

Under Newsom’s administration, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has transferred more than 10,500 inmates directly to ICE since 2019. This is a provision that Newsom has fought hard to defend, even as he has overseen the closing of some state prisons. In one breath he claims he wants to reduce the prison population, but he is doing so by turning people over to ICE in violation of many city and state laws. Newsom has repeatedly defended this policy, arguing it targets only those convicted of serious or violent crimes.

He has promised to veto any legislation that would restrict the CDCR’s cooperation with ICE, maintaining that the current system “strikes the right balance” between public safety and community trust.

But the numbers tell a different story.

California Is Exporting People From State Prisons To ICE

For example, in the state of California, there were less than 2,000 homicides in 2023.

In the same year, there were ~14,000 rape cases. I think we could all agree that for the most part, those would be the most serious crimes we would want people who are here illegally to be deported for. But what percentage of crime is committed by people who are here illegally

With over 10,500 transfers in the ~6 years of Gavin Newsom’s time in office, that is approximately 1,750 people per year he hands over to ICE from the state prison system. Even a minuscule error rate would mean dozens of wrongful deportations including U.S. citizens. This is not a hypothetical risk; it’s a statistical certainty now that we have seen cases like Kilmar Abrego Garcia and other individuals who are now being returned to the United States for prosecution at least.

What’s worse: this also means that those who protest against wrongful deportation right now in Los Angeles – whether citizens or undocumented people – could themselves be swept up by the very system they oppose if arrested and convicted, with no guarantee of protection from the state.

Think about it: you go to protest. Get arrested. Instead of the city charging you, or holding you on petty vandalism type charges, you get sent to a state prison for detention until you make bail. From that point, Gavin Newsom’s state prison system cooperates with ICE and they take you without due process, and somewhere along the line another department of the government transports you to another country for prison. That is absolutely a danger for people.

All while Gavin Newsom gets regarded as some kind of hero while he stands on the sidelines deriding the President verbally but supporting his policies for the most part. 

The Uniparty Illusion

This is where the “uniparty” reality comes into focus.

The public may see Newsom and Trump as bitter opponents, locked in a battle over the soul of California. But when it comes to the mechanics of state power, especially the intersection of law enforcement and immigration policy, the differences are often more about optics than substance. Newsom has been attempting to court a Republican audience for a while now, including his joining Donald Trump’s (now) state media platform Truth Social. Few people are aware of the fact that the only Democratic lawmakers who seem to have public profiles on Truth Social are Gavin Newsom, the 2024 Kamala Harris campaign, and John Fetterman.

Newsom’s willingness to maintain state cooperation with ICE, even as he denounces Trump’s federal overreach, reveals a political strategy that values public safety credentials and national ambitions over unwavering protection for vulnerable communities. 

For those who look to party allegiance or gubernatorial rhetoric for safety, this gap between words and actions is not just disappointing, it’s dangerous.

The Cold Revolutionary Civil War Battle Lines Are Closer Than They Appear

The American Civil War from the 1800’s was between (2) relatively clear factions that were separated by geography: North and South. Out of that our country sustained (2) political parties: Democrats and Republicans. Yet our society evolved into differences between coastal (elites) and the rural parts of America i.e. “working class.” Even still these differences are blurred further by the flattening of culture online, where people from all walks of life kind of participate in the same activities now. Whether you are in rural PA or urban Los Angeles, you might play video games together online and watch the same movies on Netflix. That is an astonishing thing on its own.

But when it comes to this phase of American life I’ve called The Cold Revolutionary Civil War. This has to do with the breakdowns between city and state, city and federal, federal and state authorities. These conflicting interests often coincide at once and it becomes hard to determine whose interests are being represented and who is being ignored. In the case of these recent ICE protests, there are incredible bipartisan dangers to our democratic way of life that are breaking down at an alarming rate.

Acknowledging the Present Dangers

If you are an undocumented immigrant who is in the process of obtaining lawful citizenship, and you live in Los Angeles, your rights are currently under assault at each of these levels. Local authorities have forfeited their unanimous plan from November of last year already. The governor of the state so-ordered it by way of standing down in the face of the federal government/President authorizing extreme measures to find you and remove you from the country. That is a terrifying and horrific position to be in, all while the governor and local officials act on social media like they are not in support of what’s happening.

The events in Los Angeles are a warning for anyone who believes that party labels or bold statements are enough to guarantee protection from government overreach. 

They are not. Newsom doing a podcast with Democratic party propagandist Brian Tyler Cohen while delaying taking legal action against the administration is the kind of evidence you need that he is an actor who isn’t taking these public threats very seriously. Newsom is biding his time until 2028 where he thinks he’ll become President. That means the problems with sanctuary cities won’t be addressed and more backroom deals with ICE will continue.

Sanctuary City Reform IS Necessary, But Not Like This

From one perspective, you could say that Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom are unilaterally, and jointly overhauling the state of California’s sanctuary city policy. They are doing this in plain view, while holding a veneer of disagreement over it. Local and other state officials in California, as well as the rest of the country, are left wondering what is actually going on. People across the nation are watching in horror. Yet, physically confronting ICE or the National Guard is only going to spell disaster for people given how this is all going.

Also, it’s a set of bureaucratic decisions that open conditions for these kinds of abuses.

Therefore it’s protesting – for altering those decisions – that will make a change.

That includes exposing how Newsom is involved, not opposed, to these actions.

Sanctuary Cities Are Hotbeds For Civil Rights Abuses Under the Guise of Progressive Ideals

Sanctuary city policies also only look progressive on the surface.

As they play out, they often subject people to indentured servitude. A person comes to America, is protected by local or state laws, but with loopholes like Newsom’s state prison provision. Therefore these people who come to America for a chance to live their dreams, it quickly becomes a nightmare. Though they might look and feel free, they live under the threat of a *democratic* society that can still snatch them up off the street and remove them. Some business leaders take advantage of these people, as do the wealthy. Then those wealthy privileged few use city and state resources to threaten their hired help into submission.

It’s sickening.

As this crisis has shown, Newsom is more interested in political theater than in taking real risks to defend their constituents. He could, with the stroke of his own pen, alter the course of history right now. Instead, he is doing fluffy interviews with friendly media to make himself look like a contender for an election that is years away. Gavin Newsom’s failure to back up his words with action is not just a personal shortcoming; it’s a symptom of a broader political culture that prizes performance over principle.

It demonstrates the uniparty is alive and well, and that Donald Trump controls those people who ascribe to it. For Californians (and for anyone concerned about the future of sanctuary cities and civil rights) the lesson is clear: look past the headlines, scrutinize the policies, and never assume that public opposition will translate into real-world protection.