Look, I’m not going to say that Gavin isn’t generally a dipshit (he is) or that what he’s doing now means that we should unequivocally support him (we shouldn’t), but like… at least he’s resisting. At least he’s not rolling over and conceding to Trump’s every demand like much of the Dem establishment. I think our anger is better focused elsewhere right now than at a prominent politician who is very publicly and very directly resisting Trump’s abuses of power. I’d much rather Newsom be doing this when he could be issuing statements that the protesters should stand down and disperse.

As far as the efficacy of it, no, he probably won’t be arrested, but I don’t think that really matters. The point is to loudly call attention to the callous evil of what Trump is doing, take the moral high ground on the situation, and call his bluff. Daring Trump to arrest him makes headlines, calling attention to what’s happening, and potentially influencing public support. If Trump doesn’t arrest him, he looks weak and shows that he has no real justification, and in the event he does arrest Newsom, that’s gonna open up a huge can of worms he’s almost certainly not ready for.

Defeating fascism is going to require a broad coalition, which means working with a lot of people we don’t personally like, at least in the times where our interests align.