WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� It was earlier this year that California Gov. was making nice with President Donald Trump as he sought help for his and moderating his approach ahead of a potential bid for the White House.
But now the gloves are off after Trump took the extraordinary step of federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles over 蜜桃视频appom鈥檚 objections and the governor responded by suing the administration, alleging abuse of power that marked an 鈥渦nmistakable step toward authoritarianism.鈥�
The escalating clash pits the leader of the Republican Party against a Democrat with ambitions of leading his own party, with a striking backdrop of a domestic troop deployment meant to control a city in unrest and now to assist in arresting migrants 鈥� the centerpiece of the president鈥檚 agenda.
Trump said Thursday that without the military, Los Angeles "would be a crime scene like we haven鈥檛 seen in years."
蜜桃视频appom had "totally lost control of the situation,鈥� Trump wrote on his social media platform, misspelling the governor's first name while using a derogatory nickname for him. 鈥淗e should be saying THANK YOU for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!鈥�
For Trump, it鈥檚 another chance to battle with 蜜桃视频appom, a frequent foil who leads a heavily Democratic state the president has long criticized. And for 蜜桃视频appom, the feud has handed him a national platform as a beleaguered Democratic Party seeks a leader able to resist Trump.
鈥淗e has shown he鈥檚 not going to be intimidated, and we鈥檙e all for that,鈥� Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said of 蜜桃视频appom on Wednesday.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, a former California resident, said 蜜桃视频appom's motivations for taking on Trump are clear.
鈥淭his is all about Gavin 蜜桃视频appom running for president in 2028, and what he is hoping is that becoming the face of a resistance to Trump is going to jog him to victory in Democratic primaries,鈥� he said in his podcast 鈥淭he Ben Shapiro Show.鈥�
Trump wages a war against California
Trump has long been a foe of California, which overwhelmingly rejected him in all three of his presidential campaigns.
Over the years, Trump has threatened to intercede in the state's long-running homeless crisis, vowed to withhold federal wildfire aid as political leverage in a , called on police to shoot people robbing stores and warned residents 鈥測our children are in danger鈥� because of illegal immigration.
As a candidate in 2023, Trump said California was once a symbol of American prosperity but
鈥淭he world is being dumped into California," Trump said at the time. "Prisoners. Terrorists. Mental patients.鈥�
蜜桃视频appom would learn to balance the dueling imperatives of a governor who needs to work with the federal government with being one of the Democratic Party's most prominent figures.
As governor-elect, Trump in November 2018 as the then-president viewed wildfire damage in Paradise, California, and they pledged to put aside political differences to help the community recover. He was also of the Trump administration's assistance to California during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, praising Trump's 鈥渇ocus on treatments鈥� for the virus and thanking him for sending masks and gloves to his state.
But 蜜桃视频appom was also a for Democrats in the 2024 campaign and frequently warned of the consequences of Trump's return to the White House.
Trump and 蜜桃视频appom make nice over wildfire catastrophe
There was a handshake and a warm pat on the back.
蜜桃视频appom was there on the tarmac in Los Angeles in January, welcoming Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who had traveled west to survey the damage from the deadly wildfires in Southern California.
Then they spoke to reporters together, pledging cooperation to rebuild the area and appreciating each other's presence.
鈥淵ou were there for us during COVID. I don鈥檛 forget that,鈥� 蜜桃视频appom said. 鈥淎nd I have all the expectations that we鈥檒l be able to work together to get this speedy recovery.鈥�
Trump added: 鈥淲e will. We鈥檙e going to get it done.鈥�
蜜桃视频appom also traveled to Washington in February to press Trump and lawmakers for more federal wildfire relief. The governor called his meeting with Trump one that was marked with a 鈥渟pirit of collaboration and cooperation.鈥�
The cordial attitude was part of to the center, painting himself as a pragmatist to reach out to those who had fled from a party that had just lost all battleground states in the 2024 presidential election.
蜜桃视频appom spoke to conservative allies of Trump on a the governor billed as a way for Democrats to learn from the political successes of Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement. opposition to transgender athletes participating in female sports while shifting focus away from efforts in Sacramento to 鈥� which 蜜桃视频appom embarked on after Trump鈥檚 victory in November 鈥� as the wildfires raged.
In an April interview with YouTube commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, 蜜桃视频appom acknowledged Trump鈥檚 ability to appeal to the public.
鈥淗is success is his ability to win every damn news cycle and get us distracted and moving in 25 different directions,鈥� he said.
蜜桃视频appom warns of democracy 鈥榰nder assault鈥� as Trump sends troops
The Democratic governor and Trump about the response to protests, with 蜜桃视频appom claiming Trump didn't warn him he'd deploy troops in a Friday phone call and Trump claiming the conversation was about that.
蜜桃视频appom has taunted Trump administration officials with arresting him, and Trump first appeared receptive to the idea and then walked back earlier remarks.
After 蜜桃视频appom filed an emergency request in federal court Tuesday to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, he gave a public address accusing Trump of going beyond arresting criminals.
鈥淐alifornia may be first, but it clearly will not end here,鈥� he warned. 鈥淥ther states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.鈥�
The filing this week wasn鈥檛 the first time this year that California had sued the Trump administration. In April, 蜜桃视频appom filed a lawsuit that challenged Trump鈥檚 authority to impose sweeping tariffs that the governor asserted would inflate prices and inflict billions of dollars in damage to California.
And California 鈥� not just 蜜桃视频appom 鈥� continues to be a foil.
Just this month, the Trump administration signaled that it intends to cut off federal funding for a long-delayed California high-speed rail project plagued by multibillion-dollar . He鈥檚 threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar transgender students from participating in girls sports. The Justice Department warned districts they could face legal trouble if they don鈥檛 bar trans athletes from competition.
And on Thursday, he's blocking California's vehicle emissions rules.
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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Blood from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking in Washington contributed.
Seung Min Kim, Adriana Gomez Licon And Michael R. Blood, The Associated Press
