California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared visibly emotional on Tuesday as he addressed the state for the first time since violent protests erupted in Los Angeles, with social media users speculating he was about to cry.
The riots by thousands of people followed federal immigration raids and the deployment of the National Guard.With his voice shaking at times, Newsom pleaded with Californians to resist what he described as US President Donald Trump’s efforts to erode democracy.“What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment,” he said. “We all need to stand up and be held to a higher level of accountability.”The governor condemned the federal response to protests as illegal and inflammatory. “These are the men and women trained for foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement,” he said, referring to the National Guard and Marines stationed in Los Angeles. “Democracy is under assault before our eyes.”In the lead-up to the speech, Newsom had already labelled Trump’s actions an “assault on democracy” and said the militarisation of the city was unlawful. During his remarks, he doubled down on those claims, accusing the president of triggering chaos through sweeping deportation actions.“On Saturday morning, when federal agents jumped out of an unmarked van near a Home Depot parking lot, they began grabbing people. A deliberate targeting of a heavily Latino suburb,” Newsom said. “A U.S. citizen, nine months pregnant, was arrested. A four-year-old girl. Taken. Families separated.”He explained that the initial protests were within the bounds of normal public response. But when federal forces intervened, the situation quickly escalated. “What then ensued was a use of tear gas, flashbang grenades, rubber bullets. Federal agents detaining people and undermining their due process rights.”Newsom acknowledged that some of the protests turned violent, citing vandalism and attacks on police officers. Over 220 arrests have been made so far, and more are expected. However, he argued that the president decided to involve military forces that “fanned the flames,” of protests.He also said that Trump was trying to dictate academic content and undermining the judicial system. “What more evidence do we need than January 6th?” he asked.Newsom confirmed that his office sought an emergency court order to halt the deployment of federal forces in Los Angeles. However, a US federal judge denied his plea to block the National Guard from coming to the state.