California is burning. And there’s one man to blame.
Now Donald Trump gave Gavin Newsom one demand that left Democrats in utter hysteria.
Trump’s Direct Call to Newsom Amid LA Chaos
The feud between President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom intensified Tuesday as Trump revealed he personally called Newsom to demand stronger leadership during the Los Angeles riots targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. “I called him up to tell him, ‘You got to do a better job,’” Trump told White House reporters.
“He’s doing a bad job, causing a lot of death and a lot of potential death. If we didn’t send out the National Guard… Los Angeles would be burning right now.”
Trump credited the National Guard, deployed Sunday, with quelling the violence that left cars burned, buildings vandalized, police attacked, and injuries mounting. “Last night they had total control,” he said, alleging the riots were fueled by “paid insurrectionists” and “troublemakers” equipped to cause chaos. “We ended it and we have in custody some very bad people.”
The president’s remarks highlight a growing rift with Newsom, whose response to the riots has drawn sharp criticism from the administration. Trump’s deployment of the National Guard followed days of unrest, which he claims would have spiraled further without federal intervention, pointing to Newsom’s failure to restore order.
Newsom’s Defiance and Legal Counterattack
Newsom escalated tensions over the weekend by publicly taunting the administration on NBC News, daring them to arrest him: “Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy,” he said, targeting White House border czar Tom Homan. The governor’s defiance followed his accusations that Trump’s actions veered toward authoritarianism.
In response, Trump suggested Monday that he would support Newsom’s arrest, stating, “I’d do it if I were Tom. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.” Vice President JD Vance piled on via X, bluntly telling Newsom, “Do your job. That’s all we’re asking,” in response to the governor’s claims of overreach.
On Monday, Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s federalization of the National Guard, arguing the president “acted illegally” by deploying troops without state consent.
The move has been widely criticized as a distraction from the governor’s inability to manage the crisis, with critics arguing Newsom is more focused on political posturing than public safety.
Federal Leaders Slam Newsom’s Obstruction
House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a scathing rebuke of Newsom on Tuesday, accusing him of enabling lawlessness.
“I’m not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested. But he ought to be tarred and feathered,” Johnson declared, referencing the colonial-era phrase for public shaming.
“He’s standing in the way of the administration and the carrying out of federal law. He is applauding the bad guys and standing in the way of the good guys. He’s a participant and an accomplice in our federal law enforcement agents being not just disrespected but assaulted.” Johnson dismissed Newsom’s lawsuit as “a joke,” urging him to “be a governor” and “stand up for the rule of law.”
While Homan clarified Monday on CBS News that there are no immediate plans to arrest Newsom, he left the door open for prosecution of state officials obstructing federal efforts.
“They haven’t crossed a line yet,” Homan said. “If you cross that line, I don’t care who they are—the governor, the mayor, whatever—and when you commit a crime against ICE officers, we will seek prosecution.”
The mounting criticism paints Newsom as an obstructionist whose actions undermine federal efforts to restore order, prioritizing political stances over effective governance in a time of crisis.
