California Governor Gavin Newsom (R) speaks as California Attorney general Rob Bonta looks on during a news conference at Gemperle Orchard on April 16, 2025 in Ceres, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Monday that he would support arresting California Gov. Gavin Newsom for purported obstruction of federal immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles.
Trump’s comment came after Newsom said California will sue Trump for his deployment of the National Guard to deal with protests over those enforcement actions.
Trump “flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” Newsom said in a social media post.
“The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA,” Newsom wrote in the post on X. “It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing.
“We’re suing him.”
Trump’s comment about arresting Newsom came in response to questions about his border czar, Tom Homan, who threatened to arrest Newsom, LA Mayor Karen Bass, and anyone else who obstructed immigration enforcement actions in California.
“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,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors charged labor leader David Huerta with felony conspiracy to impede an officer. Huerta, president of SEUI California, was arrested on Friday during a protest in L.A. He is due to appear in federal court later Monday,
Newsom on Sunday asked Trump to remove the California National Guard from scenes of demonstrations in Los Angeles. Trump had signed an order on Saturday night deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to the protests.
“This is a preview of things to come,” Newsom said in an interview with Brian Taylor Cohen that he embedded in his tweet about the planned lawsuit.
“This isn’t about L.A., per se. It’s about us today, it’s about you, everyone watching tomorrow,” the Democratic governor said.
“This guy is unhinged. Trump is unhinged right now, and this is just another proof point of that,” said Newsom.
Members of the California National Guard stand guard at the Paramount Business Center parking lot a day after clashes between protesters and law enforcement following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, U.S., June 8, 2025.
Jill Connelly | Reuters
Trump defended his decision in a social media post Monday.
“We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
“If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated,” said Trump.
Trump called Newsom “incompetent,” and said the governor and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass should be thanking him, saying “YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR.”
“Instead, they choose to lie to the People of California and America by saying that we weren’t needed, and that these are “peaceful protests,” Trump wrote. “Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction tells you all you have to know.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Trump of engaging in a “diversion” by deploying the Guard.
“Donald Trump — in the midst of a war with Elon Musk and his ugly tax bill that would rip healthcare from 17 million people — is in desperate need of a diversion,” Schumer said in a statement.
“His order to deploy the National Guard in California is unnecessary, inflammatory, and provocative. Trump should immediately revoke his command to use the National Guard, and leave the law enforcement to the governor and the mayor, who are more than capable of handling the situation,” Schumer said. “Americans do not need or deserve this unnecessary and provocative chaos.”
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
