California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly mocked President Donald Trump after the latter suggested he might deploy troops to the Golden State again.
Why It Matters
Trump faced harsh criticism from Newsom and other California Democrats in June when he mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to widespread protests against his immigration policies.
Meanwhile, the California governor, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has emerged in recent months as one of Trump’s most outspoken critics, making headlines for mocking him with his all-caps imitations and congratulatory messages on social media.
What To Know
On Tuesday, Trump hinted he might send more troops to California, telling reporters that Newsom “didn’t want us there, and he’d need us again because things are starting to get worse. I can see that.”
He added, “You know, we have to maintain the situation. It’s like maintaining an airplane. You can buy it, but you have to maintain it.”
Newsom quickly responded to the president on Twitter.
“So, can you make them sleep on the floor again? Okay,” Newsom wrote in his social media post. He attached a photo showing federal soldiers sleeping on the floor during their deployment in California.
The president’s proposal to send more troops to California came hours after a federal judge ruled that the administration violated an 1878 law by deploying those troops in June.
Trump followed the California deployment by sending a contingent of troops from various government agencies to Washington, D.C., angering residents of the capital and drawing the ire of his political opponents.
Newsom sharply criticized Trump for his decision to send troops to Washington, D.C., telling reporters, “His mindset doesn’t seem to be focused on the issue of crime and violence. It’s an expression of authoritarianism.”
The California governor added that he hoped people would pay attention to Trump’s recent comments, in which he said that “a lot of people think, ‘Maybe we like dictators.'”
What People Are Saying
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer issued his ruling Tuesday: “The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that the defendants systematically used armed soldiers (whose identities were often obscured by bulletproof vests) and military vehicles to establish protective perimeters and roadblocks, control crowds, and project a military presence in and around Los Angeles.”
“In short, the defendants violated the Posse Comitatus Act.”
“Once again, an incompetent judge is attempting to usurp the Commander in Chief’s authority to protect America’s cities from violence and destruction,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement following Breyer’s ruling.