An escalating clash pits a Republican president looking to fulfill his mass deportation goals against a Democratic governor with White House aspirations hoping to mobilize opposition.

Trump credited the military for stopping Los Angeles from turning into a “crime scene” Thursday, while Newsom has said the troops’ presence inflamed protests.

California Governor Gavin Newsom took to the airwaves Tuesday night — with federal troops stationed in his state’s largest city and immigration agents rounding up residents — and warned Americans that democracy itself was under attack from President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump signed a resolution on Thursday that blocks California’s first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. California is expected to challenge the move in court.

Trump also revoked two other Biden-era waivers from California Thursday. Those would have allowed California to require vehicle makers to produce an increasing number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks, and another to reduce nitrogen oxides, a component of smog, from heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles and engines.

Gov. Gavin Newsom long insisted that he had no interest in running for president, despite rampant speculation. Now he’s publicly acknowledging that it’s a possibility.

President Donald Trump’s lawyers cited a post from Sen. John Fetterman in their legal response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s motion to block the deployment of troops in Los Angeles. Fetterman, D-Pa.

Cities across the U.S. are preparing for another day of immigration protests following a week of unrest that began in Los Angeles and spread nationwide. Los Angeles remains under an overnight curfew after demonstrations sparked by federal immigration raids turned violent.