California Governor Gavin Newsom has branded Donald Trump a 'stone cold liar' and accused the president of staging 'theatre' and 'madness' by federalising 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles without prior consultation. The deployment, the first of its kind in over 50 years, has sparked ongoing protests against immigration raids by federal agents.
In an interview with the New York Times podcast The Daily, Newsom said Trump never mentioned the plan during a phone call last Friday, contradicting the president's claims. 'He lied, stone cold liar,' the governor stated, adding that the move 'came completely out of left field.' The federalised troops, previously engaged in border and wildfire prevention duties, have had to be protected by police amid public anger.
Newsom condemned the use of US Marines to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) arrests, alleging tactics used to 'disappear' people unlawfully. He described the deployment as 'unconstitutional', 'immoral', and warned it threatened US democracy. 'This sends fear and chills up the spines of law-abiding citizens,' he said.
The governor also questioned Trump's mental fitness, claiming the president 'can't recall' their phone conversation and is 'not all there.' This echoes earlier remarks where Newsom suggested Trump, who turns 79 on Saturday, has 'lost it.' Trump has escalated the feud by suggesting Newsom could be arrested, which the governor said caused his 15-year-old daughter to come home from school crying.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles saw a calmer evening on Wednesday, with Mayor Karen Bass noting the affected area is small. However, several hundred further arrests were made late Wednesday. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested without evidence that protesters may be funded by NGOs and unions, and said Newsom had not returned her calls. Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from her press conference.
