Governor Gavin Newsom accused that Trump is trying to “manufacture a crisis” in Los Angeles
As the federal government deployed troops to Los Angeles for protests, Newsom asks that they “Don’t give Trump what he wants and remain calm”
“Trump is sending 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles County, not to fill an unmet need, but to create a crisis. He’s waiting for chaos to break out so he can justify more repression, more fear, more control,” Newsom said Sunday at X, where he also urged people to “remain peaceful.”
“Don’t take the bait. Never use violence or harm law enforcement,” he continued.
So, in a joint statement by Democratic governors from across the country in support Newsom said Trump's use of the California National Guard was "an alarming abuse of power."
Trump deployed the National Guard despite Newsom's opposition. Governors or the federal government can deploy National Guard troops, though experts say it is unusual for a president to call them into federal service in a state where the governor objects.
Trump further escalated his efforts to suppress the protests on Sunday, ordering the heads of several federal agencies to “take all necessary measures to liberate Los Angeles” and end the protests, which he called “migrant riots.”
“A once great American city, Los Angeles, has been overrun and occupied by undocumented immigrants and criminals. Now, violent, insurrectionist mobs harass and attack our federal agents to try to stop our deportation operations. But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve.”
“I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem,“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in coordination with all other relevant departments and agencies, to take all necessary steps to free Los Angeles from the migrant invasion and end these riots. Order will be restored, undocumented immigrants will be removed, and Los Angeles will be free,” the president wrote on his social network. However, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu, who represents a Los Angeles-area district, also said on X that he agreed with Newsom’s assessment that “Trump’s takeover of the California National Guard is deliberately inflammatory.” Representative Nanette Barragán, a Democrat who also represents a Los Angeles-area district, also condemned the deployment. “We have not asked for help. We do not need it. "He's escalating the situation, causing tensions to rise," Barragán said of Trump in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." "This will only make things worse in a situation where people are already angry about immigration enforcement."