Gavin Newsom appeared to suffer a breakdown as he continued to ramp up his feud with President Trump.

The ambitious California governor sounded like he was on the verge of tears as he recounted a fanciful story about him being arrested to the New York Times podcast "The Daily."

Newsom's delusions

The Democrat said his daughter "literally came home from school crying" because she thought her father would be taken from her.

"I have a 15-year-old who quite literally came home from school crying because she was told on her last day of school — God as my witness — because she was told her daddy was getting arrested," Newsom said.

In the bizarre alternate reality Newsom is fabricating, he is a hero for "democracy" standing against Trump's "tyranny." And by tyranny, Newsom means taking appropriate steps to protect life and property - which Trump did by deploying the National Guard to stop the Los Angeles riots, over Newsom's objections.

As he pushes his contrived "democracy" narrative, Newsom has demonstrated an apparent fixation with the idea of being arrested by federal agents. Seriously, there appears to be nothing the governor wants more.

"I told the president, get it over with. Arrest me," he said in an interview.

While commenting on the governor Monday, Trump hinted at the real reason Newsom keeps bringing up this scenario: publicity.

"I would do it if I were Tom [Homan]. I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity but I think it would be a great thing," Trump said.

Later, Trump made it clear that he was joking as he suggested Newsom's real crime was not quitting public life in shame.

"I think his primary crime is running for governor because he's done such a bad job," Trump responded.

Dems embrace political theater

Trump clearly understands the game Newsom is playing - and indeed the governor pounced on Trump's remarks with rehearsed talking points about "authoritarianism."

"The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor," Newsom posted on Instagram. "This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation -- this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."

Could this guy be more of a phony?

Other Democrats appear to be following the same corny playbook as Newsom. California Senator Alex Padilla (D) disrupted a press conference in Los Angeles Thursday, prompting agents to briefly detain him - and giving Democrats a manufactured incident to weaponize against Trump.

All of this political theater, but what are Dems actually doing to keep people safe in Los Angeles? Trump is taking action while they grandstand and rave like political hacks.

If Newsom wants to be president someday, restoring order in his state would be a good first step.