Two days after the nation’s voters gave Donald Trump one other time period as president, Gov. Gavin Newsom staged a publicity stunt to place California — and presumably himself — because the epicenter of resistance.
Newsom referred to as a particular session of the Legislatureto run concurrently with the common legislative session that begins in December, “to safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration,” his workplace declared Thursday in a press launch.
“This is the first of several actions by the Newsom administration, in partnership with the Legislature, as the governor begins shoring up California’s defenses against an incoming federal administration that has threatened the state on multiple fronts,” his workplace continued in an announcement.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle. California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”
Amongst different issues, Newsom desires the Legislature to present Legal professional Basic Rob Bontaa possible candidate for governor in 2028, more cash for authorized actions after Trump takes workplace in January.
“The special session responds to the public statements and proposals put forward by President-elect Trump and his advisors, and actions taken during his first term in office — an agenda that could erode essential freedoms and individual rights, including women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights,” Newsom’s workplace stated. “A special session allows for expedited action that will best protect California and its values from attacks.”
It’s a stunt as a result of there’s completely nothing the particular session might do this couldn’t be carried out within the common session through the weeks earlier than Trump’s January inauguration. However the false declaration of urgency achieves what Newsom apparently desires: protection in nationwide media that in any other case in all probability wouldn’t occur.
The New York Occasions referred to as it “breaking news” because it revealed a prolonged article quoting Newsom’s declaration {that a} Trump presidency poses a right away menace to the state. The article steered that California’s motion may very well be the nucleus of a multi-state coalition, and noticed that “California leaders have long seen themselves as a bulwark against right-wing extremism, and Mr. Newsom has positioned himself nationally as one of Mr. Trump’s loudest critics.”
Bingo. The nation’s most influential newspaper has basically anointed Newsom because the chief of resistance to Trump, which isn’t a nasty begin on a 2028 marketing campaign for the presidency, particularly now that Vice President Kamala Harris is out of the best way — if, certainly, that’s Newsom’s unspoken ambition.
Newsom has devoted a lot of his second time period as governor to cultivating nationwide media consideration, particularly from Democrat-leaning retailers comparable to MSNBC. At first, he dwelled on the necessity for Democrats to turn into extra aggressive in opposing Republicans, and later volunteered himself as a surrogate campaigner for President Joe Biden’s reelection earlier than Biden dropped out and the get together rapidly anointed Harris because the fill-in candidate.
Naturally, political media — typically referred to as “the great mentioners” — started itemizing Newsom as a possible candidate, both in 2024 if Biden opted out or in 2028, regardless of his repeated denials of presidential ambitions.
So is Newsom actually positioning himself for a presidential run? On the very least, he covets continued consideration as a number one Trump foe as his get together begins to sit up for 2028 and the would-be candidates start to stir.
Nonetheless, as my CalMatters colleague Alexei Koseff identified this week, “Democrats are likely to be skeptical that another culture warrior from California represents their best chance of rebuilding the party after voters rejected Harris, who came out of the same San Francisco political circles as Newsom.”
