Democrats are accusing President Trump of an abuse of power with his decision to send the National Guard into Los Angeles, but they face a political tightrope in responding to the immigration protests that prompted the move.
Party leaders in and out of California have blasted the administration for going around Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and accused Trump of a calculated move to escalate tensions.
Still, some Democrats also acknowledge that pushback to Trump could become a political liability as images of chaos emerge from the demonstrations, warning protesters to stay peaceful and not take the bait.
“I think Trump has played this brilliantly, because there’s really not a whole lot of middle ground between looking like you’re supporting violent demonstrators and supporting law enforcement,” said California Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio.
Trump has already “weaponized this very effectively,” Maviglio said, capitalizing on anxieties around immigration and his longstanding efforts to “paint California as the bastion of what’s wrong with Democratic control.”
Demonstrators in the Golden State have been expressing outrage at the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, after Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 118 immigrants during operations in Los Angeles last week.
Against Newsom’s objections, Trump over the weekend activated 2,000 National Guard members to quell the protests and protect federal officers, a rare case of a president calling in the forces without a state’s agreement.
If Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) “can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” Trump vowed on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday condemned “violent rioters” and called out Democratic politicians to “tone down dangerous rhetoric” about ICE.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the situation as “violent mobs” attacking law enforcement who were “carrying out basic deportation operations” in Los Angeles, and argued California Democrats “completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.”
California Democrats objected strongly.
“We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed,” Newsom said Sunday on X.
The Democratic Governors’ Association (DGA) called the president’s move “an alarming abuse of power,” contending that the federal activation “without consulting or working with a state’s governor is ineffective and dangerous.”
But more than simply an overreach from the federal government, Democrats see this as a calculated move by Trump to bait the party in a state Republicans have long targeted over its liberal politics.
“Los Angeles: don’t take Trump’s bait. Trump wants chaos and he’s instigated violence,” Newsom said on X.
Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.) said on the same platform that Trump’s “reckless use of federal troops” risks “pushing our nation down a dangerous path toward tyranny.”
“Don’t take the bait. Keep speaking out — but do so peacefully,” he warned Californians.
Bass has cautioned the same, saying “Angelenos have the right to make their voices heard through peaceful protest but don’t fall into the Administration’s trap.”
The back-and-forth has only escalated, with Trump earlier Monday saying in response to a reporter’s question that he supports White House border czar Tom Homan arresting Newsom.
“This is a day I hoped I would never see in America,” the California governor responded on X.
“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.”
Protests have been largely peaceful, but some demonstrators reportedly clashed with law enforcement on Sunday. The Los Angeles Police said they were conducting arrests as people in the crowd began “throwing concrete, bottles and other objects.”
Sharing footage of a masked man standing atop a vandalized vehicle with a Mexican flag in hand as fires burned in the street, DHS urged California politicians to “call off their rioting mob” and accusing Newsom of “siding with foreign criminals.”
Those optics could make it hard for Democrats to counter Trump’s messaging.
“Images that are being seen on the television can’t be unseen,” Maviglio said.
“The usual gang in the Democratic Party that can’t figure out how to get past Trump will use the usual lines, which is, ‘Trump is using this to his own advantage. He’s creating chaos to his own advantage.’ But that’s not going to work,” said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
Sheinkopf argued that Democrats can and will try to blame the administration, but “it’s likely to benefit Trump.”
“Why? Because he can [say], ‘Look what they did. They created chaos, and I’m the only one who could bring it under order,’” he added.
Trump’s rhetoric around migration “tends to work,” Sheinkopf said. “There’s no real opening here for Democrats to somehow create a national groundswell.”
Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) was among those defending Trump, saying Democrats “lit the match” and are now “blaming the fireman.”
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona acknowledged her party faced “a tightrope” with their response, balancing support for law enforcement and resistance to Trump’s National Guard order. But she argued the party is able to “pull it off,” saying she’s been “quite pleased” with the unity seen in how Democrats have countered the administration’s narrative on immigration amid the chaos.
“We know that [Trump] bringing in the National Guard is him pouring gasoline on the fire, so let’s not be the matches that light it even more fully,” she added. “Let’s be as peaceful as possible, and then let’s support law enforcement when they are arresting people who engage in violence.”
And when the dust settles on the protests, she said, “Democrats need to be very forceful and aggressive to say we are the ones that are for a common sense, humane, strong, fair, balanced, legal immigration system.”
The situation has also posed a new political test for Newsom, who has long been seen as having higher national ambitions. He’s termed out next year, and has been cropping up as a formidable potential contender in early presidential polling for 2028.
In recent months, Newsom has appeared to be tacking toward the center, though he’s long been seen as a leader in Democrats’ resistance to Trump.
“He’s been desperately trying to moderate himself for a 2028 run, and this is his worst nightmare, because there’s no real middle ground on this issue,” Maviglio said.
“You have to come to the defense of your state, your community, and on the other hand, you have to show that you’re not soft on crime, which is typically an Achilles heel for Democrats.”
But Cardona countered that the situation is giving Newsom “a huge platform” to showcase his leadership skills ahead of a potential future run.
Newsom has said he’ll sue the administration over the National Guard deployment. And after border czar Tom Homan indicated he would not rule out arresting Newsom or Bass if they interfered, the governor welcomed the challenge in a now-viral clip: “Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy.”
“He’s coming out and standing strong for California, standing strong for the LAPD, standing strong for our immigrant communities,” Cardona said. “And I think that that is going to do him a lot of good when it comes time for people to actually focus on 2028.”