President Donald Trump said on Monday he would support the arrest of California’s Gavin Newsom, in a dramatic escalation of a growing conflict with the Democratic governor over immigration protests that roiled Los Angeles over the weekend.
As Los Angeles faced a fourth day of protests over immigration raids in the city, Democrats and Republicans clashed over what has become the biggest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally.
“This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” Newsom, who is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, said on X.
Federal law allows the president to deploy the Guard if the nation is invaded, if there is “rebellion or danger of rebellion,” or the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.” Returning to the White House after a night at Camp David, Trump was asked by a reporter whether his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. Homan has threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts, including the governor.
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump replied. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
Newsom on X called the arrest threat an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
And THIS is what the 2nd amendment is actually for. California needs its own state-run militia to defend its territory from Federal overreach.
It was never about individual civilians owning weapons. All that would do, is give Trump a justification to invoke the Insurrection Act. But if the State of California itself is armed against tyranny, then the people’s rights are being defended.