President Donald Trump expressed support for Tom Homan to arrest Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) after the Democratic governor dared the “border czar” to arrest him following the Trump administration’s decision to call in the National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said about whether Homan should arrest Newsom, as he returned to the White House early afternoon on Monday. “I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
“He’s done a terrible job,” Trump said about the California governor. “I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent. Everybody knows. All you have to do is look at the little railroad he’s building. It’s about 100 times over budget.”
The president did not respond to a question about whether he would invoke the Insurrection Act.
The California governor quickly denounced the president’s remarks on social media.
“The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,” Newsom wrote on X. “This is 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.”
Just a few hours after Trump’s comments, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, announced the Golden State had officially sued the Trump administration over the “unnecessary” and “unlawful” National Guard deployment.
According to Bonta, Trump’s decision to send in troops, without Newsom’s consent, violates the tenth amendment and federal law.
“As a result, I, in partnership with Gov. Gavin Newsom, are suing President Trump and asking the court to set aside the President’s unlawful action, federalizing the California National Guard with this order, Bonta said.
Trump’s actions were the first time since 1965, when former President Lyndon B. Johnson sent the National Guard to Alabama to protect civil rights demonstrators, that an American president had sent in troops without the state governor’s consent.
Newsom previously threatened to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Sunday after the White House authorized the National Guard to handle riots, which at times were violent, against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles over the weekend.
“The people that are causing the problem are professional agitators,” Trump told reporters Monday. “They’re insurrectionists, they’re bad people. They should be in jail.”
NBC News previously reported that Homan threatened that state and local leaders who interfered with the federal effort to quell the protests could be arrested, prompting Newsom to taunt him.
“Tom, arrest me, let’s go,” Newsom said Sunday on MSNBC.
Homan, however, sought to tamp down tensions Monday morning during his appearance on MSNBC, claiming his comments with NBC News were taken out of context and were “very dishonest.”
“They can’t cross that line of putting their hands on officers,” Homan said about protesters.
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The “border czar” claimed that he was then asked if that included Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat.
“They’re not above the law either,” Homan said. But Homan also said that he “never threatened to arrest Gov. Newsom. … That report is dishonest.”
Naomi Lim contributed to this report.
