Key Points – The conflict between California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump has escalated dramatically over immigration raids and subsequent protests in Los Angeles.
-Newsom on Sunday formally requested Trump rescind the “unlawful deployment” of the National Guard, calling it a breach of state sovereignty that is inflaming tensions.
-This followed a threat from Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, to arrest officials who interfere with immigration enforcement.
-On Monday, President Trump himself confirmed he “would” arrest the California governor, a move that, while constitutionally dubious, sets the stage for a major federal-state showdown with significant political implications for both leaders.
What Is Gavin Newsom Thinking in Los Angeles?
The current clashes on the streets of Los Angeles are an ugly scene, filled with burning cars, tear gas, officers hitting protesters, and other markers of social unrest.
It is also, it would appear, an opportunity for California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The second-term governor is widely assumed to have an interest in running for president in 2028. He’s trying to make himself the face of the opposition to Trump’s immigration crackdown, as well as its subsequent crackdown on the protests.
A Question of Control
Traditionally, whether or not to deploy the National Guard in a situation of social unrest is a call made by the governor of a state.
The question of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz calling in the Guard during the 2020 George Floyd protests, and whether he waited too late to do so, was an issue last year when Walz was nominated for vice president.
However, with the protests in California, calling in the National Guard was Trump’s call, and it was done over the objections of Newsom, as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
On Sunday, per The Daily Beast, Newsom called on the Trump Administration to rescind its National Guard deployment.
“I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command,” the governor said, while posting a letter to that effect to social media. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed.”
“Rescind the order. Return control to California,” Newsom added.
The Trump Administration, for that matter, did not back down- in fact, they raised the possibility of arresting the governor.
Newsom Under Arrest?
In an NBC News appearance over the weekend, Trump Administration border czar Tom Homan appeared to threaten Newsom and Bass with arrest, should interfere with immigration enforcement.
“I’ll say this about anybody—if you cross that line, it’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal illegal aliens, it’s a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job,” Homan told NBC News’ Jacob Soboroff.
Homan appeared to back off, at least partially, in a Fox News appearance later on.
“He’s just a joke. He’s a dishonest reporter,” Homan said of Soboroff, the author of a book and frontman of a documentary about Trump’s child separations in his first term.
“I said many times, ‘You can protest; you get your First Amendment rights’—but when you cross that line, you put your hands on an ICE officer, or you destroy property or impede law enforcement, or you’re knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a crime. And the Trump administration is not going to tolerate it.”
Trump Speaks About Newsom
But then, on Monday, Trump was asked about Homan’s comments. And when a reporter asked him if he would, in fact, arrest the governor of California, Trump replied, “I would.”
“I would do it, if I were Tom,” Trump told reporters, as reported by the New York Post. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
“I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows that,’ Trump added, before mocking the California governor for the lack of progress in California’s high-speed rail project.
It has not been made clear what crime Newsom would be charged with, if any.
Arrests of public officials are a rare step, but not one that the administration hasn’t taken before.
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, who is running for governor of New Jersey, was arrested last month at a detention facility, as was Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), a member of Congress.
Baraka has used the arrest as a talking point while running, and should the same thing happen to Newsom, it’s likely he would do the same.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
