Who is Gavin Newsom? The California governor clashing with Trump over LA riots
California Governor Gavin Newsom is back in the headlines as his state reels from rioting in Los Angeles - and the deployment of National Guard troops by President Donald Trump divides opinion.
Tuesday 10 June 2025 11:46, UK
As protests continue in Los Angeles, California Governor Gavin Newsom has once again clashed with US President Donald Trump.
The Republican even said he supported the idea of arresting the Democratic state governor, who claimed the president "wants chaos and he's instigated violence".
Often viewed as a rising star and future leader of the Democratic Party, Mr Newsom's stock appears to have faded in the eyes of voters in recent months.
As the situation in the the City of Angels continues to be tense, we take a look at how California's governor rose to where he is today.
Background
A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Mr Newsom was born in 1967.
Despite growing up with dyslexia, he made it through school and later university.
Also a baseball player, he was good enough to get a partial baseball scholarship to Santa Clara University, where he graduated from, before getting into business.
He was first married to then-district attorney Kimberly Guilfoyle, but two years after their divorce he married his current wife Jennifer Siebel - with whom he has four children.
Over the years, his business has grown to encompass restaurants and hotels before he turned his attention to politics.
Political career
Mr Newsom was reported to have started near the bottom of local US politics, on the board of the Parking and Traffic Commission in 1996 in San Francisco.
Local media described the then up-and-comer as a "social liberal and a fiscal watchdog".
He spent a number of years at the coal face of his state's politics, before in 2003 he became mayor of San Francisco of which he served two terms.
Mr Newsom first came to national attention when he backed same-sex marriages, in direct violation of state law.
But despite a backlash, his stock continued to rise until in 2019, he rode a landslide victory to his state's top job, becoming governor of California.
But his time in charge of the US's most populous state has not been without its problems.
Critics of Mr Newsom point to a poor record across a number of key issues.
This includes notoriously high homelessness - of which California is responsible for one-third of the country's homeless population - along with bad drug problems, immigration issues, law and safety, high taxes, and more.
Clashes with Trump
As governor of California, Mr Newsom has repeatedly clashed with Donald Trump, previously over the response to the devastating LA wildfires and then over the protests.
Mr Trump accused Mr Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass for what he described as "gross incompetence" in dealing with the fires.
Meanwhile, Mr Newsom suggested Mr Trump was threatening first responders by not supporting California.
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There is also animosity between the two men as Mr Newsom has sought to "Trump-proof" his state's liberal policies
As the protests in LA continued, Mr Newsom was angered by Mr Trump's unprecedented decision to send in the National Guard - America's reserve force - to deal with the unrest.
"Trump wants chaos and he's instigated violence," he said. "Stay peaceful. Stay focused. Don't give him the excuse he's looking for."
The next Democratic president?
Mr Newsom's efforts over the last few years have reportedly left him well-equipped in terms of fundraising, campaign infrastructure and messaging.
The governor ticks many of the stereotypical boxes of an American president and has no issues reeling off the facts or trading barbs with Republicans.
Mr Newsom has severe dyslexia and has issues reading from pieces of paper in public, or spelling, but this has not hindered the Democrat from delivering often lengthy speeches - which will be from memory.
Once touted as the future of the Democratic Party - and a one-time bookies' favourite to win the nomination in 2028 - there was speculation that Mr Newsom could replace Mr Biden on the ticket after the former president withdrew from the race.
But instead the party converged around Kamala Harris and Mr Newsom threw his support behind her.
So what about 2028? It's no secret that the Democrats could do with a leader to bring unity to the party and the fight to Republicans.
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However, recent polls have suggested his position could be slipping.
A poll of US voters by AtlasUS at the end of May suggested 54% had a negative image of Mr Newsom, with just 27% saying they had a positive image of him.
He was far behind left-wing firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the only Democrat not named Obama who polled ahead of Mr Trump, with 46% saying they had a positive image of her compared with 44% negative.