In a sharp escalation of political tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that California Governor Gavin Newsom should be arrested, a striking remark amid a fierce clash over federal immigration actions and ongoing protests in Los Angeles.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said:
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,”
referring to Tom Homan, his border enforcement chief.
The comment came after Homan suggested that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could face federal charges for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement efforts.
“Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,” Trump added, accusing the Democratic governor of mishandling the unrest.
He continued:
“Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows.”
The president’s remarks followed a weekend of rising tensions in California, where protests broke out in Los Angeles in response to federal immigration raids.
On Saturday, Trump ordered the National Guard into the city, bypassing Newsom’s authority, marking the first time in six decades that a sitting president deployed troops to a U.S. city without the consent of the state governor.
Governor Newsom, 57, fired back over the weekend during a national television appearance, challenging Homan directly:
“Come after me, arrest me, let’s just get it over with, tough guy,”
he said on MSNBC.
The Democratic governor also condemned Trump’s decision to deploy 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles, calling the move authoritarian.
“Dictatorial,”
he said on Monday, accusing the president of exploiting the situation for political gain.
According to Newsom, local law enforcement was capable of handling the demonstrations without federal intervention.
While Trump denied that he wanted to incite unrest, he offered a stark warning:
“I don’t want a civil war,” he said,
“but civil war would happen if you left it to people like him.”
Newsom, who is widely seen as a potential contender for the 2028 presidential election, remains at odds with the Trump administration over immigration policy, federal overreach, and states’ rights—all issues now playing out on the streets of Los Angeles.
