U.S. Protests Supported by news analysis The California governor used a nationally televised address to criticize President Trump and to seize a political moment. transcript If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there. This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. Take time, reflect on this perilous moment. A president who wants to be bound by no law or Constitution perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions. By Adam Nagourney and Laurel Rosenhall When Gavin Newsom stepped in front of a camera Tuesday evening, he was a California governor addressing his constituents as a crisis of civil disorder gripped pockets of Los Angeles. But by the time Mr. Newsom was finished, it was clear the governor was speaking not only to his state but to his country, and his beleaguered party. To Democrats looking for direction and leadership, Mr. Newsom used one of the highest-profile moments of his political career to lay out the threat that he argued President Trump posed to the nation, and how Americans should resist it. And he suggested he was the man to lead that fight. “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” Mr. Newsom said. “The moment we’ve feared has arrived.” The next presidential election is more than three years away. But it was hard to watch the speech, delivered as anti-Trump protests spread from Los Angeles to other cities, and not wonder if the 2028 campaign had already begun. This may well prove to be a turning point both for Mr. Newsom and for the Democratic Party. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.