‘No-holds-barred fight’: California’s governor takes off his gloves to punch back at Trump

Gavin Newsom has trolled the president mercilessly online, but he’s counting on his redistricting scheme to reclaim the House for Democrats – and boost his presidential ambitions

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n the opening weeks of Donald Trump’s second term, Gavin Newsom wagered that peacemaking was best: a tarmac greeting for Air Force One, an Oval Office visit and a podcast slot for Maga’s biggest names. But then Trump came for California, and its governor dropped the niceties.

With a flood of all-caps social media posts, a counterpunching redistricting proposal and a string of lawsuits challenging the new administration, Newsom is not just taking on Trump, he’s stealing his tactics: fight, fight, fight.

“We’ve got to wake up, disabuse ourselves as Democrats,” Newsom said on a podcast this week. “I’m sick of being weak. I’m sick of being effete. I’m sick of being non-consequential. It’s not good enough to say it – it’s time to do.”