California Governor Gavin Newsom and former President Donald Trump are engaged in a sparky public war of words. This conflict arose when Trump first threatened to deploy the National Guard to California over local protests against the militarized immigration enforcement Trump has promoted. Newsom blasted the deployment at the time, saying it was an unprecedented and unnecessary militarization of the border. He even announced plans to sue Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over it.
Turbulence escalated when Governor Newsom signed an executive order of his own. This move is monumental for California, but it emboldens him to go further and do the same in other states. He expressed serious concerns over Trump’s move, stating, “The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing.” Beyond the potential for enforcement mischief, this development should be seen as a major shift in the relationship between state and federal authorities over law enforcement.
Trump leave the National Guard, which triggered a furious response from Newsom. He charged that the former president was trying to “manufacture chaos and crisis” for his own political purposes. He emphasized that there is no invasion in California, echoing the sentiments of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who stated, “Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion.” Newsom called Trump’s actions “unhinged,” claiming that they will only create larger issues.
Trump’s decision goes much further than this. Without prior precedent since 1965, a president has deployed a state’s National Guard without requiring the governor to request the deployment. This unprecedented move drew sharp criticism from Newsom, who labeled it an attempt to “flame the fires” and “illegally act to federalize the National Guard.” Bonta made it clear that the administration shared the governor’s concerns. He called the decision to federalize the entire California National Guard a dangerous abuse of presidential power.
In the fiery exchange, Trump accused Newsom of being “incompetent.” Over on the Senate side, Chuck Schumer jumped to the governor’s defense, arguing that law enforcement should always be kept under the control of state governors and local mayors. Schumer continued, his order to deploy the National Guard in California is totally unnecessary, inflammatory and provocative. First, Trump needs to rescind his order to deploy the National Guard immediately. The governance of such law enforcement should be up to the governor and the mayor.
Instead, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, raised the stakes by promising to arrest Newsom. He charged him with interfering with federal immigration enforcement operations. In a statement reflecting on this unusual situation, Newsom expressed disbelief: “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America.”
This public feud underscores the growing chasm between state leadership and the fed’s overreach on immigration policy and law enforcement. Political forecasters think that Trump’s behavior is an intentional ploy. Their goal is to change the subject from the major crises his administration is dealing with right now.
Newsom’s position has already accumulated surprising support because he’s right to continue defending against overreaching, threatening federal power. He stated, “Americans do not need or deserve this unnecessary and provocative chaos.” California’s Republican governor, Jerry Brown, is initiating a legal challenge to Trump’s deployment. This case has the potential to establish an important precedent for resolving future conflicts of this kind.