California is falling apart, but Gavin Newsom couldn't care less. Instead of dealing with the mess he's made at home, he's busy chasing headlines with cheap stunts that look bold on TV but accomplish absolutely nothing. His press office thought it had landed a clever punch Saturday morning with a smug post on X: "Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today. You're welcome, America."
What Newsom actually got was a Secret Service investigation and a painful reminder that flexing on the federal government is way above his pay grade. The whole thing was nothing more than bad political theater: laws that won't survive constitutional reality, staged for the cameras to make him look like a progressive tough guy. This isn't leadership. It's a carefully scripted audition tape for his inevitable presidential campaign.
The tweet was supposedly about Newsom's big plan to sign legislation that would stick it to federal immigration enforcement. The problem? These bills amount to little more than political theater that will have exactly zero impact on how immigration enforcement actually works in California, let alone across the country.
Newsom, who has been busy running for president over the past couple of years, decided to hold a signing ceremony in Los Angeles, surrounded by the usual suspects. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho all gathered to watch Newsom sign bills that federal authorities had already declared worthless.
Recommended: Tom Homan's Immigration Logic Won Over Bill Maher's Liberal Audience
"We have a right to stand up and push back!" Newsom declared, describing Trump's immigration enforcement as involving "masked men" carrying out orders. It's the kind of overwrought language that plays well with the base but ignores the reality of constitutional law.
The bills themselves read like a progressive wish list that someone forgot to run by a constitutional lawyer. Assembly Bill 49 prohibits schools from allowing immigration enforcement officers on campus without a warrant. Senate Bill 627 bans federal and local law enforcement officers from wearing face masks while on duty. Senate Bill 805 requires law enforcement officers to identify themselves while on duty. Senate Bill 81 blocks immigration enforcement from entering restricted areas of health facilities without a warrant. And Senate Bill 98 blocks immigration enforcement in certain areas of schools and colleges.
When Los Angeles-based journalist Elex Michaelson asked Newsom about that pesky little thing called the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution, which establishes that when there's a conflict between federal law and state law, federal law prevails.
Newsom's response was telling: "We're going to test the theory." He argued that "The Supremacy Clause doesn't give blanket immunity to state laws" and compared federal agents following state traffic rules as precedent. It's the kind of answer you give when you know your legal position is shaky at best.
Newsom claimed that "Federal operations have been conducted for decades and decades without masks. It's never been necessary," calling mask-wearing by federal agents "a new construct, conceived to terrorize our diverse communities, to instill fear and chaos." When Michaelson asked him about agent safety concerns regarding doxxing, Newsom suggested: "If doxxing is a concern, then legislate the solution to those concerns." Because apparently, federal law enforcement should just accept being targeted by activists.
The reality check came swiftly from Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who immediately rejected California's authority over federal agents.
The State of California has no jurisdiction over the federal government. If Newsom wants to regulate our agents, he must go through Congress.
— Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 20, 2025
I’ve directed our federal agencies that the law signed today has no effect on our operations. Our agents will continue to protect their… https://t.co/yqndOh7S62
So much for Noem having a bad day. Instead, Newsom managed to trigger a Secret Service investigation, demonstrate his complete misunderstanding of federal supremacy, and pass laws that federal authorities immediately declared unenforceable.
It clearly wasn't the flex he thought it was. At the end of the day, this entire episode reveals more about Gavin Newsom's political ambitions than it does about immigration policy. He knows these laws are dead on arrival, and he knows the Constitution isn't on his side.
But he doesn't care. The point was never to craft serious legislation; it was to posture for the cameras, fire up the base, and project himself as the progressive warrior willing to "stand up" to Donald Trump. That's why he staged a flashy signing ceremony, flanked by Democrat allies, to tout bills that have no legal authority.
Newsom isn't governing; he's auditioning.
He designs every stunt, every snide social media post, every empty gesture to keep his name in the headlines as he angles for the White House. And if this sad spectacle is any indication, he will build his campaign on grandstanding rather than leadership.
