California Governor Gavin Newsom has been publicly slamming President Donald Trump for taking control of the National Guard and deploying troops to Los Angeles amid anti-ICE protests. The Democrat dared the administration to arrest him on Sunday. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, said on Monday that there were currently “no discussion” about arresting the governor, but didn’t close the door on the idea. Trump flung it wide open, however, telling reporters on Monday that he thinks arresting Newsom would be “great.”
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing. He’s done a terrible job,” the president said.
Newsom quickly responded. “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,” he wrote on X. “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.”
Newsom said earlier on Monday that the state will sue Trump over his federalization and deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Trump “flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” Newsom wrote. “The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing. We’re suing him.”
Trump signed an order on Saturday authorizing the federalization and deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, 300 of which were promptly sent to Los Angeles without the request or consent of city and state officials. The action hasn’t been taken by an American president since 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson bypassed Alabama’s segregationist Governor George Wallace and sent the National Guard to protect civil rights protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Trump’s order invoked Title X, and called the National Guard — typically under the control of state governors — into federal service “to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property.”
The order does not mention California, but instead directs the National Guard “to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property.” In effect, the order could be invoked in other states. Unless the President invokes the Insurrection Act, the National Guard would be barred from conducting law enforcement activities against U.S. citizens.
On Monday morning, the president advocated in a Truth Social post to “BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” in order to quash the protests. The threat to send active duty members of the military into L.A. has been echoed by prominent Republicans and Cabinet officials, while heightening tensions in the city. Trump later claimed that Los Angeles would be “completely obliterated” if he had not sent in the National Guard.
“Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight,” Newsom said in a Sunday night interview with MSNBC. “He’s exacerbated the conditions, he’s lit the proverbial match, he’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act.”
