said that Trump is “lighting democracy on fire,” and that fears that a second Trump presidency could be an authoritarian nightmare are well justified.
In June 2025, he posted on X that “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. These are the acts of a dictator, not a President.”
When Trump ordered the National Guard into California to quell anti-ICE riots, Newsom warned that “California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived.”
And so on.
It’s weird, isn’t it, that a guy who wants to be president of the United States would go to Europe to reassure the Europeans that all is well while trying to scare the bejabbers out of Americans?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently – and perfectly – described Newson as “a cross between Sparkle Beach Ken and Patrick Bateman.”
We’d add only that Newsom also seems to have a bit of Groucho — “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them … well, I have others” — Marx.
Except that Groucho was making fun of politicians like Newsom.
– Written by the I&I Editorial Board
I & I Editorial Board
The Issues and Insights Editorial Board has decades of experience in journalism, commentary and public policy.
