In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, United States President, Donald Trump, on Monday suggested that it would be “great” if California Governor Gavin Newsom were arrested, as the two leaders clashed over ongoing unrest in Los Angeles.
Over the weekend, the 78-year-old Republican leader dispatched the National Guard to California’s largest city following violent protests sparked by immigration enforcement actions.
Notably, Trump bypassed the customary step of consulting the state’s Democratic governor, a move unprecedented in six decades.
The deployment drew sharp criticism from Newsom, 57, who openly challenged Trump’s immigration chief Tom Homan.
After Homan warned that both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass might face federal prosecution for obstructing immigration authorities, the California governor responded defiantly.
“Come after me, arrest me, let’s just get it over with, tough guy,” Newsom told MSNBC on Sunday.
When questioned by reporters upon his return to the White House aboard Marine One, Trump backed Homan’s stance. “I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” he said. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
The president went on to criticize Newsom’s handling of the situation in Los Angeles, where clashes have continued to draw national attention.
“Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy — but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows,” Trump remarked. “He’s done a terrible job.”
Though Trump later tempered his comments by saying, “I don’t want a civil war,” he warned that “civil war would happen if you left it to people like him.”
Newsom, who is often mentioned as a potential Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race, accused Trump of creating chaos for political leverage.
He maintained that state and local law enforcement were fully capable of handling the protests without federal intervention.
Following the deployment of 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles by the Trump administration on Monday, Newsom doubled down on his criticism, branding the president as “dictatorial.”
