LOS ANGELES — The escalating feud between President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom has reached a boiling point, with Trump’s provocative call for Newsom’s arrest and the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles igniting a constitutional and political firestorm.
As protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids grip the city, both leaders are leveraging the crisis to rally their bases, raising critical questions about federal overreach, state sovereignty, and the future of American governance.
On Monday, President Trump stunned the nation by endorsing the potential arrest of Governor Newsom, a move he described as “great” during a heated exchange with reporters on the White House South Lawn.
The comment came in response to questions about remarks by Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, who suggested that state officials, including Newsom, could face charges if they obstruct ICE operations.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said, doubling down on his criticism of Newsom’s handling of Los Angeles protests, which he labeled “Gavin Newscum inspired Riots.”
Newsom, in a swift and defiant response, accused Trump of taking an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
In a post on X, the governor wrote, “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.”
He further claimed that Trump’s actions were a politically motivated attempt to create a “manufactured crisis” and undermine California’s sovereignty.
The confrontation intensified as Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests sparked by his administration’s immigration crackdown.
Newsom, who has repeatedly called the deployments unauthorized and inflammatory, announced that California is suing the Trump administration, alleging that the president illegally federalized the state’s National Guard.
“This is not just about California,” Newsom said in a press conference.
“This order allows him to send the military into any state he wishes, violating the Constitution.”
The Roots of a Stormy Relationship
The Trump-Newsom rivalry is not new, but it has taken on a new intensity in recent months.
Despite a brief détente earlier this year—marked by handshakes during Trump’s visit to wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles and a cooperative meeting in Washington—the relationship has deteriorated sharply.
Newsom has accused Trump of exploiting the protests for political gain, claiming the White House seeks to create a “spectacle” to bolster its image ahead of the 2026 midterms.
“They want the violence,” Newsom wrote in an email to supporters, a charge the White House has not directly addressed.
Trump, meanwhile, has painted Newsom as an “incompetent governor” whose policies have fueled unrest.
The president’s decision to deploy federal forces over Newsom’s objections marks a significant departure from his 2020 stance, when he stated that National Guard deployments required a governor’s request.
When pressed by ABC News on the change, Trump dismissed the question, saying, “The biggest change is we have an incompetent governor.”
The deployment of Marines, confirmed by a U.S. official on Monday, has further inflamed tensions.
Legal experts warn that the use of federal troops on U.S. soil could violate the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
“This is a highly unusual and potentially unlawful escalation,” said constitutional scholar Dr. Emily Chen of Stanford University.
“The president’s actions risk setting a dangerous precedent for federal-state relations.”
A Political Chess Game
Both Trump and Newsom are using the crisis to position themselves for broader political battles.
For Trump, the Los Angeles protests offer an opportunity to project strength on immigration, a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign.
By framing the unrest as the work of “professional agitators” and “insurrectionists,” Trump is appealing to his base while challenging Democratic strongholds like California.
Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, is casting himself as a defender of democratic norms and state rights.
His decision to sue the Trump administration—California’s 14th lawsuit against the administration since January—underscores his strategy of positioning California as a bulwark against federal overreach.
“No state is poised to lose more than California,” Newsom said, referencing the economic and social impacts of Trump’s policies, from tariffs to immigration raids.
The feud has also drawn in other political figures.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blamed Newsom for the unrest, arguing that federal intervention was necessary due to his “bad decisions.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump’s actions, stating, “He did exactly what he needed to do to maintain the rule of law.”
Conversely, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar accused Trump of being “hellbent on inflaming” the situation, while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass dismissed Homan’s arrest threats as baseless.
The Trump-Newsom clash is emblematic of deeper divisions in American politics, where federal and state governments are increasingly at odds over issues like immigration, law enforcement, and executive power.
The Los Angeles protests, which have seen demonstrators clash with police and set vehicles ablaze, reflect broader public frustration with Trump’s immigration policies, including mass deportation raids that have targeted undocumented immigrants across the country.
As California braces for further unrest, the legal and political fallout from this confrontation is likely to reverberate nationwide.
Newsom’s lawsuit could set a precedent for how states challenge federal authority, while Trump’s aggressive tactics may embolden other Republican-led administrations to test the limits of executive power.
For now, the eyes of the nation are on Los Angeles, where the presence of federal troops has done little to calm tensions.
“This is a test of our democracy,” Newsom said in a final appeal to the public.
“We cannot allow fear and division to tear us apart.”
As the situation unfolds, one thing is clear: the Trump-Newsom feud is far from over, and its consequences will shape the political landscape for years to come.
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