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ATTENTION RUBEN NAVARRETTE EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN FOR RELEASE THURSDAY, JUNE 19, IS BEING TRANSMITTED EARLY DUE TO THE HOLIDAY. THANK YOU. -- CREATORS

Newsom and Trump Find Their Match -- and Their Soulmate

SAN DIEGO -- The modern-day classic Western "Tombstone" has plenty of memorable scenes. One of the best is set in a saloon when Doc Holiday (played masterfully by the late Val Kilmer) meets fellow gunslinger Johnny Ringo (played exceptionally well by Michael Biehn).

Referencing Ringo, Holiday turns to his female companion and asks: "What do you think, darling? Should I hate him?" She reminds Holiday that he doesn't even know the outlaw -- other than by reputation. The gunfighter concedes the point.

"Yes, but there's just something about him," Holiday says. "Something around the eyes, I don't know, reminds me of... me. No. I'm sure of it, I hate him."

The point: Skills recognize skills. Human beings often see in others attributes that we ourselves possess. And instead of finding kinship and camaraderie, we might just as easily respond with jealousy or resentment. For instance, we might look at a sibling who always seems to wind up having conflict with one of our parents and deduce that the reason for the friction is "they're the same."

A similar dynamic is playing out here in California where Gov. Gavin Newsom is once again under attack by President Donald Trump.

In the roughly 150 days that Trump 2.0 has been a thing, California officials have not been shy about suing the White House over everything from tariffs and education to birthright citizenship and cuts in federal funding. In fact, in the first 100 days, the Golden State filed 16 lawsuits against the administration.

In today's political climate, that dynamic seems routine. During the Biden administration, when Democrats controlled the Oval Office, it was Republican governors such as Greg Abbott in Texas and Ron DeSantis in Florida who were quick to go to court. It's almost a rite of passage for members of the party out of power, especially for those who might harbor presidential ambitions of their own. They audition for the top job by aggressively challenging in court whoever has it now.

But this time, it's not all politics. On one level, this is an easily digestible story about two political heavyweights -- the 79-year-old president of the United States and the 57-year-old governor of California -- squaring off to see who is el mas macho.

It was during the Siege of Los Angeles earlier this month when Trump federalized the California National Guard and used Newsom's own army against him that the punches really started to fly. Trump needed the extra manpower -- as many as 4,000 National Guard troops -- because he invaded and occupied the state's largest city to hunt for undocumented immigrants. By the way, once they were on the ground in Los Angeles, the troops were supposed to only protect government buildings. That was another Trump lie. Now it appears the National Guard is helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carry out raids and accost individuals -- including Latino U.S. citizens.

What appears to be primarily a standoff over immigration enforcement is really a clash of gigantic egos. My working theory is that a major reason for this collision of personalities is that each of these men sees in the other something that reminds him of himself.

As someone who has over the years been critical of both Trump and Newsom on many issues, I see similarities. Both are natural politicians who like to fight. Also, they are both great communicators who are better at campaigning than they are at governing. And both are often underestimated by those who usually wind up eating their dust.

For what it's worth, a lot of the rhetorical pushing and shoving taking place right now between Newsom and Trump seems to have crossed over from the political to the personal.

Newsom accuses Trump of creating chaos and infringing upon the sovereignty of his state. The way the governor sees it, the power grab is "madness" and an "unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." In a formal address to the residents of California, Newsom accused Trump of taking a "wrecking ball" to democracy and suggested any usurping of local autonomy in California won't be limited to California.

Trump counters that Newsom -- whom he called "Newsum" in a schoolyard taunt -- grossly "incompetent." He has even floated the idea that the governor should be arrested if he interferes with federal law enforcement officers in performing their duties. He quickly toned down that threat, perhaps concerned that such a public confrontation was exactly what Newsom wanted.

"Gavin likes the publicity," Trump scoffed.

Boy, does he. Then again, who else do we know who craves attention as if it were oxygen?

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To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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