Mark Z. Barabak
Poor Gavin Newsom. The governor hasn’t swallowed this much indigestion-inducing fare since he visited the French Laundry.
In the three weeks since Donald Trump took office, not a day has passed without some presidential assault on democratic norms, executive branch overreach or obnoxious emission from the nation’s pot-stirrer in chief.
The response from Newsom, who once fancied himself at the vanguard of the Trump resistance, has been to largely ignore the president’s actions, or to issue some airy platitudes with the throw weight of a down pillow.
When Newsom signed legislation last week authorizing $50 million to fund court battles against the Trump administration and support legal services for immigrants, the governor — who is not exactly publicity-averse — did so with nary a news camera in sight.
Good for him.
All that reticence has to leave a bad taste in Newsom’s mouth. (We’re not talking about the soigné wine country cuisine that got the governor in so much trouble after he enjoyed a Michelin-starred meal with friends during the pandemic lockdown.)
But if that’s what it takes to stay on Trump’s good side and see to it California receives the federal wildfire relief it desperately needs — and tens of thousands of stricken Los Angeles-area residents deserve — then so be it.
It’s instinct in some political circles to scream and stomp and vent at every Trump provocation. That’s one way to release tension, and it’s not an unreasonable response to the horror show he’s put on the last fortnight and a half.
But, really, how politically productive has that been?
It’s not as though Trump kept his roughshod-running plans a secret during the presidential campaign. He still managed a clear-cut victory over Kamala Harris and even won the popular vote, though he fell shy of a 50% majority.
That’s not at all to suggest that capitulation is in order. Myriad legal fights are underway to check Trump’s authoritarian actions, and California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, is among those who’ve worn a groove in the courthouse steps fighting Trump and his co-president, Elon Musk.
By contrast, Newsom has chosen a more, shall we say, diplomatic approach, playing to Trump’s puppylike need for constant praise and attention.
