President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are steeling themselves for a showdown over the anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles, with the president federalizing the National Guard and sending in hundreds of Marines, and Newsom preparing legal action to force the federal government to stand down.
The conflict is heading to a dark place, warned conservative analyst Jonah Goldberg during a roundtable discussion with CNN's Kasie Hunt — and neither side has any incentive to back down until a real tragedy occurs.
"There are a lot of ways, Kasie, this can escalate," said Goldberg's fellow panelist, Lanhee Chen of the conservative Hoover Institution. "And I don't think that most of the ways it can escalate are, frankly, very good, either for Governor Newsom or for the president. So I do think it is ultimately in the best interest of both not to escalate, but de-escalate. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the pathway that we're on right now."
"What's your assessment of how Gavin Newsom is handling this?" asked Hunt, turning to Goldberg.
"I think Lanhee gets it. One of the real reasons why this is going to get worse before it gets better," said Goldberg. "Gavin Newsom is the latest in a very long line of people who benefit enormously with their constituencies by picking a fight with Donald Trump, right? I mean, going back to Michael Avenatti, remember him, right? There are these people who become resistance avatars or heroes of the base of the Democratic Party. And they get to play the martyr by going after Donald Trump. And it works for both sides in a way that leaves the center without a lot of grown-ups in it."
Ultimately, he added, "I worry that this is going to keep escalating, until something terrible happens. And then maybe cooler heads will prevail."
Watch the video below or at the link here.