Los Angeles protests turn spotlight on California's ambitious governor Gavin Newsom

WASHINGTON: Immigration protests in Los Angeles are proving a stern test of Gavin Newsom's leadership of California, but the unrest also hands the ambitious governor a unique opportunity, say analysts, as he weighs a presidential run in 2028.

Rarely a shrinking violet, the 57-year-old chief executive of the country's largest and richest state has eagerly taken up the Democratic Party's cudgel against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Newsom spent the weekend attacking his Republican opponent, accusing him of deliberately stoking tensions by deploying California's National Guard to downtown LA.

A presumed frontrunner for the Democratic leadership, Newsom has made no secret of his political ambitions and appears to be relishing his chance for a public showdown with Trump.

As the latest front in Trump's immigration crackdown played out on the streets, the Democrat was brawling on social media, vowing to sue Trump over a "serious breach of state sovereignty".

"Every political crisis is a political opportunity," Jeff Le, a former senior official in California state politics who negotiated with the first Trump administration, told AFP.

"In California, where President Trump polls at 30 per cent, it's a potential gift for the governor to showcase stark differences between the two."

Those differences were all too apparent as Trump upbraided the Democrat for a "horrible job", while the president's "border czar", Tom Homan, threatened to arrest Newsom over any interference with deportations.

Homan rowed back his comments after the Newsom gave a fiery interview with left-leaning MSNBC mocking his "tough guy" stance and calling his bluff.

Le said Newsom's defiant showing would delight a Democratic base "desperate for a fighter".

But he warned that a prolonged stand-off in LA - and particularly an escalation of violence or vandalism - could erode public sympathy, especially if Trump seeks to target California's federal funding.

"FACE OF DEMOCRACTIC RESISTANCE"

A former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom has been at the helm of the Golden State for six years, making it a haven for liberal priorities such as abortion access and anti-deportation "sanctuary cities".

He has been talked of as a future Democratic president for years, and has bolstered his national profile with bold overtures beyond his own state, including debating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Fox News.

But he has courted controversy on his own side for appearing at times too chummy with Republicans, a criticism fueled by the launch in March of a podcast featuring friendly chats with provocative right-wing guests.

His reputation also lost some of its sheen among centrists during the pandemic, when he was slammed by business owners for onerous public health restrictions.

A lunch that Newsom attended with lobbyists at an opulent Napa Valley restaurant during the partial lockdown became infamous.

An Economist/YouGov poll released last week showed Newsom has ground to make up, as his net popularity rating of -13 points is significantly worse than Trump's still underwhelming -7 points.

"There's no question Gavin Newsom is trying to use this moment to elevate his national profile, casting himself as the face of Democratic resistance to Donald Trump," said veteran political strategist Charlie Kolean.

But the analyst cautioned that Newsom would damage his presidential ambitions if voters thought he was taking the side of criminals over security forces in his drive to be seen as a defender of civil rights.

"Voters overwhelmingly want law and order - it's one of the core issues Trump ran on and won big with," Kolean told AFP.

"Americans want leaders who protect public safety and stand with law enforcement - not ones who politicise unrest."