One day after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is suing.
And late on Monday afternoon, Newsom said in a post on X that President Donald Trump was sending an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles.
What You Need To Know
- One day after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is suing
- Late on Monday afternoon, Newsom said in a post on X that Trump was sending an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles
- Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said he supports Newsom being arrested
- Asked if his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest the California governor for working to prevent federal agents from deporting undocumented immigrants, the president said: “I would do it if I were Tom”
- “This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted,” Newsom wrote in a post on X on Monday in announcing his state’s impending lawsuit. “He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard”
“This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous president’s ego. This is reckless. Pointless. And disrespectful to our troops,” Newsom wrote.
He said that approximately 300 of the original 2,000 troops were actually deployed while “the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders.”
The administration did not immediately confirm the deployment of the additional 2,000 troops.
Meanwhile, Trump said he supports Newsom being arrested.
Asked if his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest the California governor for working to prevent federal agents from deporting undocumented immigrants, the president said: “I would do it if I were Tom.”
Trump called Newsom “grossly incompetent” and attacked him over California’s delayed high-speed rail project.
Newsom responded by saying a president calling for the arrest of a sitting governor represents “a day I hoped I would never see in America.”
“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom said.
Homan said during an interview with NBC News that aired Sunday that anyone — including Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass — who prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from deporting undocumented immigrants would be subject to arrest and prosecution.
Newsom responded to Homan’s threat by telling MSNBC: “Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy. I don’t give a damn. But I care about my community. I care about this community. What the hell are they [the Trump administration] doing?”
In announcing that California plans to sue the Trump administration after the president ordered 2,000 National Guard members to be deployed to the Los Angeles area, Newsom wrote in a post on X, “This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted.”
“He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” the governor wrote.
Trump said he federalized the troops to address lawlessness, overriding the Democratic governor, who said the deployment was inflammatory. National Guard members were assigned to protect federal buildings, including a detention center in downtown LA where protesters had gathered.
On Sunday, following the National Guard deployment, thousands of protesters took to the streets, shutting down highways and setting vehicles on fire.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a news conference the lawsuit — expected to be filed Monday afternoon — will ask the court to block Trump’s order federalizing the Naitonal Guard.
“Gavin Newsom should march back to his Attorney General’s office to prosecute the anti-ICE rioters who burned property and looted businesses in Los Angeles. It’s pathetic that Newsom is more focused on saving face than protecting law enforcement and holding criminals accountable,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement on Monday evening. “As the President said, Newsom should thank him for restoring law and order.”
A spokesperson for the Trump administration now telling me:
“Gavin Newsom should march back to his Attorney General’s office to prosecute the anti-ICE rioters who burned property and looted businesses in Los Angeles. It’s pathetic that Newsom is more focused on saving face than… https://t.co/sXVnu2uak5— Cassie Semyon (@casssemyon) June 9, 2025
The suit contends the federalization of the National Guard trampled on California’s sovereignty and that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ignored law enforcement’s expertise and guidance by invoking a law that’s intended to prevent an invasion by a foreign nation or a rebellion.
It’s the 24th lawsuit filed by California against the Trump administration in 19 weeks.
“This is serious. People’s lives are at stake,” Newsom said in an interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen that the governor posted on X along with his announcement about the impending lawsuit.
“This is a preview for things to come,” Newsom said. “This isn’t about LA, per se. It’s about us today. It’s about you, everyone watching, tomorrow. I promise you. Donald Trump’s unhinged right now, and this is just another proof point of that.”
Trump used something called Title 10 authority to activate the National Guard.
In a post early Monday afternoon, Trump stood by the deployment and accused Newsom and Bass of lying to Californians by saying the protests did not warrant National Guard intervention.
“We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Brian Tyler Cohen currently works for MSNBC.
Spectrum News’ Cassie Semyon contributed to this report.
