The White House Wants This Fight With Los Angeles

The roiling confrontation in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement has laid bare President Donald Trump’s hunger for confrontation with those sections of the country that oppose him and his agenda. In words and actions alike, Trump has shown he views blue states and cities not as legitimate partners in governing, but as hostile territory to be subdued.

That perspective has shaped his approach to the Los Angeles conflict from the outset. First, his administration executed the initial immigration raids in a manner it had to know was most likely to trigger protests — raiding workplaces and imposing a highly visible enforcement presence on immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Then, when the inevitable protests erupted, Trump rapidly federalized the California National Guard without even a pretense of coordinating with Governor Gavin Newsom, who is now suing to overturn Trump’s declaration.