Gavin Newsom Takes On Trump At His Own Game: From The Politics Desk

Welcome to nan online type of From nan Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you nan NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and study from nan White House, Capitol Hill and nan run trail.

In today’s edition, we dive into really California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bare-knuckled attack to fighting nan GOP is drafting attraction connected nan near and nan right. Plus, Jonathan Allen examines whether President Donald Trump’s strategy for dealing pinch Russian President Vladimir Putin has reached its breaking point.

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— Adam Wollner

Gavin Newsom strikes a nervus — and seizes nan spotlight — arsenic he treads connected Trump's turf

By Natasha Korecki, Sahil Kapur and Katherine Doyle

After months of escalating attacks against President Donald Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to person yet deed a nervus by hijacking his tactics.

Newsom has put California astatine nan halfway of Democrats’ run against a Trump-backed effort successful Texas to pad nan GOP’s U.S. House majority, countering pinch a rare, mid-decade redistricting connection of his own. All nan while, he’s flooded societal media pinch a dependable watercourse of all-caps screeds mocking nan president’s signature style.

It’s commanded a whirlwind of nationalist attention, from Democrats and Republicans alike, that fewer successful Newsom’s statement person been capable to negociate during Trump’s 2nd term.

Over nan past 48 hours alone, Newsom was singled retired by erstwhile President Barack Obama for his “responsible approach” to redrawing California’s legislature maps; by Vice President JD Vance, who slammed him in a Fox News interview for trying to mimic Trump; and by Trump himself connected Truth Social.

“Triggered?” Newsom responded to Trump.

For Newsom, who is connected nan short database of imaginable 2028 White House hopefuls, it each comes arsenic nan Democratic Party’s guidelines supra each other is itching for a combatant to return connected Trump and nan GOP.

“He would for illustration to beryllium nan nominee successful ’28. Is he succeeding connected getting that benignant of attention? Yes, he is,” said Willie Brown, nan erstwhile San Francisco politician and authorities House speaker who’s a longtime friend and governmental mentor to Newsom.

The position connected nan right: Trump’s MAGA friends person teed disconnected connected Newsom’s societal media assault, arguing that he was embarrassing himself, wasting nationalist resources and wasn’t really nan one posting.

But Steve Bannon, a erstwhile Trump White House aide, offered praise for Newsom’s “brilliant” governmental gambit.

“This really shows really overmuch Trump has changed modern politics. You person to beryllium connected offense, and you person to break done nan media achromatic noise, and it’s not arsenic overmuch policy-driven arsenic attitude- and style-driven,” Bannon told NBC News. “He’s done thing that nary different Democrat has done. He’s energized these guys. He’s trying to instill nan fighting tone successful a very dispirited statement that has mislaid 4 cardinal people. You person to put nan guidon connected a hill, and you person to rally nan troops astir something.”

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Why Trump whitethorn request to dainty Putin for illustration Putin treats Zelenskyy

Analysis by Jonathan Allen

President Donald Trump has tried to lure Russian leader Vladimir Putin to nan negotiating array pinch a buffet of sugar-coated carrots. Their deficiency of efficacy suggests it mightiness beryllium clip for Trump to effort a fewer sticks.

Consider past week, erstwhile Trump rolled retired nan reddish carpet for Putin, who is considered a warfare criminal successful overmuch of nan world, astatine a hastily planned acme connected American soil. What did Trump get? Not much.

Putin obliged Trump by agreeing that Russia did not interfere successful nan 2016 election, contempt U.S. intelligence reports to nan contrary. It’s a return that not only fed nan president’s ego but reinforced Russia’s generations-long effort to sow section among American voters. Putin’s testament to a deficiency of interference, successful different words, served arsenic its ain shape of interference.

But what Trump did not get from Putin was a committedness to extremity Russia’s warfare against Ukraine, aliases moreover a scheme to talk pinch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov established a precocious barroom of conditions for nan Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet, saying Putin would beryllium down pinch Zelenskyy erstwhile each of nan issues betwixt nan 2 countries are resolved and if Putin is convinced that Zelenskyy has nan morganatic authority to motion a bid deal. Trump required nary concession from Putin earlier elevating nan Russian president by bringing him to nan U.S., sitting down pinch him privately, and appearing astatine side-by-side rostrums for a glorified photo-op.

By contrast, Putin treats Zelenskyy arsenic a clone president and, by extension, treats Ukraine for illustration a clone country. That shouldn’t beryllium surprising, arsenic Putin began trying to reabsorb Ukraine into Russia by unit much than a decade ago.

But it whitethorn supply a instruction for Trump astir nan creation of diplomacy.

Putin has small inducement to extremity his warfare aliases moreover connection concessions truthful agelong arsenic Trump portrays him arsenic an equal, and his state arsenic a world power. Right now, nan nationalist chat being convened by Trump revolves astir what Ukraine will person to cede to Russia to get Putin to telephone disconnected his army. There’s nary existent outer unit connected Putin.

Trump could activity to cripple nan Russian economy, which is little than one-tenth nan size of America’s, pinch greater economical sanctions. Instead of requiring Ukraine to salary for American protection pinch early mineral yields, he could springiness Zelenskyy much weaponry and bless — aliases moreover publically assistance — Ukrainian strikes connected Russia. Rather than elevate Putin, Trump could castigate, ostracize and humiliate him pinch nan benignant of blistering rhetoric that Trump has to day reserved for Zelenskyy.

If continuing nan warfare costs Putin thing — not moreover his stature successful nan eyes of nan astir powerful man successful nan world — location is small logic for him to stop. And possibly there’s thing nan U.S. could do, short of handing him Ukraine, that would lead to a ceasefire.

But heavy into nan first twelvemonth of a presidency that he vowed would automatically bring an extremity to nan war, Trump’s carrots person fed nan Russian carnivore without sating it. Appeasement isn’t working. Sticks mightiness beryllium a amended strategy some for protecting Ukraine and for fulfilling nan committedness to agent a bid deal.

That’s each From nan Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Bridget Bowman.

If you person feedback — likes aliases dislikes — email america astatine politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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