Photo: Alamy
Tensions between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump escalated Monday after Newsom publicly challenged border czar Tom Homan to arrest him amid a debate over riots in Los Angeles.
Over the weekend, Tom Homan emphasized during a media interview that knowingly harboring or concealing illegal immigrants or impeding federal enforcement is a felony.
“You cross that line,” Homan said, “it’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It’s a felony to impede law enforcement from doing their job.”
Though Homan did not name Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Newsom responded forcefully in an interview Sunday night.
“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,” Newsom said to NBC News.
When asked Monday whether Homan should follow through, Trump responded sarcastically, “I would do it if I was Tom. I think it’s great. Gavin will like the publicity, but I think it would be very good.”
Trump added, “He’s done a terrible job. Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent; everybody knows,” Trump said, referencing California’s high-speed rail project. “All you have to do is look at the little railroad he’s building. He’s about a hundred times over budget.”
Newsom later responded to Trump’s comments on social media.
“The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. 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,” the governor posted to X.
The exchange comes as Trump has ordered the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to growing unrest over his administration’s immigration enforcement, according to the Pentagon’s top spokesperson.
The move raises the total number of National Guard members activated under federal orders for the protests to more than 4,100.
