California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to sue the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles without state consent, calling it an illegal and unconstitutional move. Trump sent the National Guard over the ICE protests that took place over the weekend.
In an interview on MSNBC Sunday night, Newsom slammed the decision: “Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He’s exacerbated the conditions. He’s, you know, lit the proverbial match. He’s putting fuel on this fire… an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act.”
Newsom revealed the lawsuit would challenge Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard.
“Under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state,” he said.
Newsom emphasized his past cooperation with law enforcement through proper channels. “We have no problem working collaboratively…But there’s a protocol, there’s a process. He didn’t care about that. And the worst part, he completely lied.”
He pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post claiming the National Guard had already done a “great job,” though the state had yet to deploy any forces. “It’s Orwellian, simply lying to people, unconstitutional, illegal act, his mess. We’re trying to clean it up.”
Reacting to federal threats, Newsom responded bluntly: “Come after me, arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy…I care about this community.”
The White House fired back, calling Newsom’s leadership “feckless” and blaming him for letting “chaos, violence, and lawlessness” erupt in L.A.
