It's no secret that Gavin Newsom is cultivating presidential ambitions for 2024 or beyond, and that he is putting himself forward as a Democratic Party leader on social issues by challenging conservative states and their social policies.

But Newsom's focus on other states has always been dubious, given the many problems that California faces, and his poor track record in handling them. And in a new demand that Hollywood boycott pro-life states, he's gone too far.

This business of boycotting states is almost a uniquely Californian phenomenon. It is a form of secession, really: California bars official travel to 22 states, nearly half the country (in San Francisco, the ban extends to more than half the U.S.).

Moreover, Newsom is demanding that Hollywood conform to his government's view of abortion -- a complex and highly contentious issue on which even many people who think they are on one side or the other often have nuanced views.

He is demanding that Hollywood boycott other states while dangling $1.65 billion in tax credits for the industry. The clear message: play along if you want to get your share of the California pie. It's coercion to enforce conformity.

Astonishingly, Newsom then has the chutzpah to claim that going along with his boycott demand means choosing "creativity." It's the opposite: there can never be true artistic creativity when production demands state conformity.

Newsom's effort is partly a protectionist one: he's representing companies and unions in his state who are threatened by competition from other states and countries. But it's also disqualifying in terms of a future presidential campaign.

No one should be president who has deliberately tried to cause economic harm to half the country. And no one should lead any level of government who is this hostile to the First Amendment and the true meaning of American freedom.