Newsom is trying to navigate choppy political waters, according to strategists from both parties. As the governor of California, a deep-blue Democratic state that Trump has gleefully caricatured at every opportunity, Newsom could struggle to appeal to swing voters as a national candidate without moderating his image.

Gov. Gavin Newsom told POLITICO that federal law requires President Donald Trump to coordinate his call-up of the National Guard with the state.