He saw his lane, chose it, and now, thrust into the spotlight, the always manipulative and meandering Gavin Newsom has made perhaps his worst political choice since flouting lockdown rules in 2020. is on a collision course.

Eight years have passed since President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, and the year is 2025 instead of 2017. The political landscape is changing dramatically. MAGA is the Ascendant and wake is the Retreat. At the federal and state levels, Americans want effective reformers in charge who will secure our borders, cut wasteful social justice spending, and lower the cost of living in areas plagued by high prices. . They want free speech, not censorship. They want safe neighborhoods, not tent cities. They want the fire department to focus on fighting fires instead of fighting for the priorities of cross-dressing men who think they might get knocked. (Related: Trump’s victory is a symptom, but not the cause, of American culture being turned upside down)

But Newsom isn’t listening. The governor of California, a political animal and a fool at that, seems to think he can use Trump’s second election to advance his career and become the de facto head of the Democratic Party. Lead Resistance 2.0 against Trump 2.0.

As wildfires ravage Los Angeles, Newsom and his fellow California Democrats are currently in the process of making the state “Trump-proof” ahead of Trump’s second inauguration. This is a move that departs from the “resistance” strategy. Lawmakers are proposing spending $50 million from the state budget to protect illegal immigrants from deportation. According to Go to Politico. Half of the funds will go to the California Department of Justice for impending litigation against the Trump administration, and the remaining $25 million will go to left-wing immigration nonprofits for state grants to undermine deportation efforts and the rule of law. You will receive it. (Related: California Screamin’: The dark and heartbreaking American tragedy at the heart of LA’s apocalyptic collapse)

Immediately after Trump’s victory, Newsom issued It was a dramatic declaration, warning that “the impact of his presidency on California could be significant and immediate.” He also visited the southern border in early December, attacking President Trump’s mass deportation plan to expel illegal immigrants and arguing that 25% tariffs on Mexico could backfire.

“The impact on food costs in this state and this country is extraordinary, and this is a serious problem, and no state will be more affected. It is estimated that 13% of undocumented workers in the United States “The construction industry is going to be hurt. It’s going to impact the cost of housing, which we know is pretty high in states like California, and this is a serious problem,” Newsom said. said.

At the same stop, Newsom was also asked whether the California National Guard would enforce mass deportations and the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and he said the Guard would only support operations to stop drugs from entering the state.

But other Democratic governors are taking the opposite, more enlightened approach. It appears these governors have decided to stay firm in the ever-changing political winds and deal with the Category 3 gusts that are blowing to the right. For now, they’re leaving Newsom and the “Resistance” behind.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has softened her stance on the incoming Trump administration. tell She is expected to meet with the president soon, according to the Associated Press. Ahead of her first speech since Trump defeated Kamala Harris in November, Whitmer rebranded herself as a more bipartisan, compromise politician willing to work with Republicans. It’s a wise move, but given her state’s Republican majority, she doesn’t have much of a choice.

Michigan Governor Whitmer has recently softened her stance on the president-elect and the Republican Party, saying she hopes to meet with President Trump in the coming weeks.

“I don’t consider myself a leader of the opposition, like some people do,” Whitmer said. @AP.https://t.co/TMBX3XxSvi

— Joey Cappelletti (@Cappelletti7) January 15, 2025

“I look forward to connecting with the president-elect because we have a lot of important things to do. The people of Michigan have elected us both twice, just two years apart. “And I believe we can find common ground on some things, and that’s my job,” she said.

The Associated Press also asked Whitmer about her plans to deport Trump, and her answer was clear. Rather than pledging support sanctuary citya move that might have been politically advantageous in 2016, or Newsom-like in 2025, to allocate state funds to prevent deportations, but Whitmer held back a bit.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 8: California Governor Gavin Newsom (R) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass visit businesses in downtown Pacific Palisades as the Palisades Fire continues to burn on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Visit the district. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 2,900 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, while a second large fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

“I think it’s too early to predict exactly what the Trump administration will do. We’ve been preparing for a variety of scenarios, but I don’t want to be prejudged,” the governor told the program. “During a campaign, people say certain things. It’s another thing when you get to an administration where they want to spend their energy and limited government resources. So, look what they do. Let’s see.”

Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, on the other hand, was more blunt: tell CNN’s Jake Tapper says he is “not a resistance leader.” He has signaled that his willingness to partner with Trump is conditional and that he will not actively engage when “fundamental rights” are “violated,” but that pledge stands in contrast to Newsom’s aggressive Yeah, and it’s far from an offensively stupid attitude.

Governor Wes Moore: “I’m not a resistance leader”
Watch the full video here: https://t.co/Usx8fzTKxe pic.twitter.com/L55sIlSH9j

— Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) January 14, 2025

“I’m the governor of Maryland,” Moore said. “My job is to ensure that the 6.5 million people who call Maryland home are supported and protected, their freedoms and rights respected, and their hopes, dreams, and aspirations protected. “This is what we do” and will be invested in and supported. ”

“I have made it clear that I will work with anyone who wants to be a good partner in this effort to make sure that Maryland is supported. But I also want to make sure that these “We are also preparing to make sure that we will push back when we see our fundamental rights being violated,” he added.

The governors of Maryland and Michigan have the right idea. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman agreed, saying on January 9 that he had accepted President Trump’s invitation to meet at Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Fetterman, a contrarian who is sometimes afraid to break away from his own party, will be the first sitting Democratic senator to visit the soon-to-be president after his election. “President Trump invited me to meet with him, and I accepted. I am not just a Pennsylvania Democrat, but a senator for all of Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said in a statement. (Related: Sen. Fetterman becomes first sitting Democratic senator to visit President Trump at Mar-a-Lago)

“We’re going to have talks,” he said. said CBS News. “And if the president wants to have a conversation or invite someone to a conversation, I think it’s pretty reasonable to do that. And no one is my gatekeeper.”

Newsom would be wise to follow in the footsteps of Whitmer, Moore, and Fetterman and immediately put the brakes on the burgeoning resistance movement. But so far the signs say otherwise. A political version of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Newsom licks his chops, gels his hair, waxes his eyebrows, and prepares for a war he can’t and won’t win.