Newsom Says Trump Is Destroying U.S. Democracy in Speech on L.A. Protests

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.”

The governor is considered a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, and his Tuesday night speech, called “Democracy at a Crossroads,” sounded national in scope. It aired on some national networks and, after a brief delay because of audio problems, on Mr. Newsom’s social media accounts.

The current political standoff has given Mr. Newsom a wider platform, and he has jousted with Mr. Trump and Republicans for several days in interviews and on social media.

After Mr. Newsom’s speech, some Republicans ridiculed the governor for the audio issues that occurred during the broadcast of his speech. James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the California State Assembly, responded by pointing to the strict rules the governor imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“You are the ultimate authoritarian who shut down restaurants and masked our kids while you went to the French Laundry,” Mr. Gallagher said on X, referencing a dinner party at the famed Napa Valley restaurant that Mr. Newsom attended while gatherings were restricted in 2020.

Soon, the feud between Mr. Newsom and President Trump will head to federal court. On Monday, Mr. Newsom sued the president, challenging the military mobilization as an unlawful commandeering of state power. On Tuesday, he filed an emergency motion asking the court to immediately block the military from patrolling city streets or working with immigration agents.

A hearing on that request is scheduled for Thursday.

“Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves,” Mr. Newsom said in his speech. “But they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control.”

The address was an unusual move for Mr. Newsom, who has dyslexia and dislikes reading from a teleprompter to deliver formal speeches. But he has been using every communication channel possible to raise alarms about the extraordinary measures Mr. Trump has taken to mobilize the military for domestic uses.

Not since the civil rights movement in the 1960s has a president sent National Guard troops to quell unrest without the support of the state’s governor.

“I ask everyone to take the time to reflect on this perilous moment,” he said, “a president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetrating a unified assault on American traditions.”

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.”

Shortly before Mr. Newsom’s speech aired, Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles announced a curfew for the downtown area that has seen the largest demonstrations. While thousands of protesters marched peacefully over the weekend, looting and vandalism spurred the mayor’s decision to shut several blocks between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Mr. Newsom implored demonstrators to be peaceful and said those who incited violence or destroy property would be prosecuted. He said 370 people had been arrested so far.

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.