U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that it would be “great” if California Governor Gavin Newsom were arrested, marking a dramatic escalation in their clash over recent protests in Los Angeles.
Tensions flared after Trump, 78, deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles on Saturday in response to unrest triggered by federal immigration raids — a move made without the consent of Newsom, a Democrat. This marked the first time in six decades that a president has sent troops to a U.S. city without approval from the state governor.
Governor Newsom, 57, pushed back strongly, daring Trump’s immigration chief, Tom Homan, to detain him after Homan warned that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could face federal charges for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement.
Asked about the remarks, Trump responded from the White House lawn: “I’d do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great. Gavin enjoys the attention, but it would be a great move.”
The president criticized Newsom’s handling of the protests, saying the governor had failed to keep the situation under control. “I like Gavin — he’s a nice guy — but he’s totally incompetent, and everyone knows it,” Trump said.
While Trump later emphasized that he did not want a civil conflict, he warned, “You’d have a civil war if you left it to people like him.”
Governor Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, accused Trump of stoking the crisis for political purposes, arguing that local authorities were fully capable of managing the demonstrations without federal military intervention.
On Sunday, Newsom challenged Homan in a fiery interview: “Come after me, arrest me — let’s just get it over with, tough guy,” he said on MSNBC.
Later on Monday, after the deployment of 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles, Newsom condemned Trump as “dictatorial,” deepening the political standoff between the state and federal governments.
(Source: AFP)
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