Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, we explore how California Gov. Gavin Newsom is navigating a high-profile political fight with President Donald Trump. Plus, Steve Kornacki previews New Jersey’s primary for governor before the results roll in tonight.
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— Adam Wollner
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Newsom locks horns with Trump in a politically defining moment
By Jonathan Allen and Natasha Korecki
Amid immigration raids, peaceful protests, attacks on law enforcement officers and the threat of his own arrest by federal agents, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is immersed in what could be the most consequential political fight of his career.
The battle has instantly turned Newsom, the governor of the nation’s largest state, into the face of resistance to President Donald Trump’s expansive interpretation of the authorities of his office and mass-deportation campaign. It comes at a time when Newsom, who is a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has been taking heavy criticism from within his own party over his efforts — in part through his new podcast — to cast himself in the role of conciliator.
As it is, Newsom must balance forces that are both inside and outside of his control. That includes competing with messaging from Trump (who frequently refers to the governor as “Newscum”) and the president’s top lieutenants, who are ever-present on cable news, social media and political podcasts. And it involves attempting to quell violent actors while pointing to Trump’s actions — which have included deploying the U.S. Marines — as an overreach.
For its part, the White House maintains it is winning the public relations battle, with officials tapping a refrain this week that it was the fight they wanted replete with made-for-TV images.
But Newsom has been mounting his own messaging offensive on X and through media interviews. And Democratic leaders say their party is galvanizing behind him — at least for the moment — and it would be difficult for prospective rivals to do anything but fall in line behind him when he is taking a stand on turf that is popular with Democratic voters.
Friends of Newsom say it would be an unexpected political boon for the governor if Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, follow through on their threat to arrest him if they decide he has broken the law.
Read more from Jon and Natasha →
Newsom vs. Johnson: Speaker Mike Johnson R-La., stopped short of saying Newsom should be arrested, but added that “he ought to be tarred and feathered.”
Newsom called it “a fitting threat given the @GOP want[s] to bring our country back to the 18th Century.”
How Republicans are responding: GOP lawmakers like Johnson largely stood by Trump’s handling of the situation in Los Angeles. But Republican Rep. David Valadao — who represents a battleground district in California — said he was “concerned about ongoing ICE operations” in the state, urging the administration “to prioritize the removal of known criminals.”
How Democrats are responding: While Democrats have largely been in unison with their criticism of Trump, there have been two notable exceptions.
Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., went further than her colleagues in saying Trump’s actions rise to the level of impeachable offenses. On the other side, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., referred to the situation in Los Angeles as “anarchy and true chaos.”“My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement,” Fetterman said.
Trump’s warning: Trump said that anyone who protests at the U.S. military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday will be met with “very heavy force.”
Price tag: The Defense Department’s top financial officer said during a congressional hearing that the estimated cost of deploying the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles is $134 million.
Related reads:
The geographic dividing lines shaping New Jersey’s primary
By Steve Kornacki
Rep. Mikie Sherrill heads into today’s primary as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey. She has blanketed the pricey New York and Philadelphia metro airwaves with television ads, she enjoys the backing of much of the party’s establishment, and she had opened double-digit leads in two polls that were released several weeks ago.
There is uncertainty, though. Credible public polling has, overall, been limited and infrequent. And court-imposed changes to the layout of the primary ballot could dramatically dilute the power of the endorsements Sherrill has received from key county Democratic organizations.
Sherrill’s opponents have each made inroads. But, at least so far, that seems to have had the effect of keeping them in one another’s way, preventing one from emerging as the clear alternative to Sherrill. Consider the state’s political geography.
You can draw a line south of Mercer and Monmouth counties, roughly where Route 195 would be on a map. Below that is South Jersey. Democratic politics here are dominated by an old-fashioned political machine that is backing the lone South Jersey candidate in the field: former state Sen. Steve Sweeney.
The trouble for Sweeney is that only about 30% of all primary votes will come from this region. And because South Jersey is part of the Philadelphia media market, he’s not well-known in the rest of the state, which is served heavily by the New York market.
Then there’s vote-rich North Jersey, where the other candidates can all claim some advantage. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is likely to win his city — the state’s largest — overwhelmingly. Newark is also the seat of Essex County, which has more registered Democrats than any other county. More than 40% of Essex’s population is Black, which should further boost Baraka, the most prominent Black candidate in the race (Sean Spiller, who is president of the state teacher’s union, is also Black). Nearby Union County, which has the second-highest share of Black residents, could offer another trove of votes.
Baraka has also made a wider play for the party’s progressive base. He has run hard to the left, and he burnished his anti-Trump credentials when he was arrested at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility last month. Coupled with deep Black support, that could be the makings of a potent coalition in a statewide primary.
But Baraka has encountered traffic in the progressive lane thanks to the presence of Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is also embracing left-wing themes and has framed his candidacy as a war on the Democratic establishment.
Another candidate, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, has pitched his message more toward the middle, promising tax cuts and emphasizing cost-of-living issues. Gottheimer won his House seat by flipping what had been a reliably Republican district, and he has amassed an enviable campaign bankroll. He figures to perform strongly in suburban Bergen County, his political base, and he has been endorsed by Bergen’s official Democratic organization. But his only other party endorsement comes from tiny rural Warren County in the northwest corner of the state.
What to watch: Outside of the crowded Democratic primary, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who was endorsed by President Trump, is viewed as the front-runner on the Republican side. Bridget Bowman has everything you need to know before polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
🗞️ Today’s other top stories
- 💲Populist push: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a bill with Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. Read more →
- ⬅️ Eyeing the exits: Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., said he will resign from his seat after Congress passes a sweeping domestic policy bill for Trump’s agenda citing an opportunity in the private sector he said was “too exciting to pass up.” Read more →
- 🗳️ Another round: Washington, D.C., Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who turns 88 this week, said she will run for re-election after The Washington Post reported on concerns from her allies and elected officials in the city that she is no longer up for the job. Read more →
- 💰 Cash dash: The latest campaign finance reports show Democrat Abigail Spanberger had $14.3 million on hand for her Virginia gubernatorial campaign, compared to $3 million for Republican Winsome Earle Sears. Read more →
- 🚘 Prime parking available: The red Tesla that Trump purchased this spring in support of Elon Musk is no longer parked outside the West Wing, following reports that the president was considering selling or giving away the car. Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs.
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