California Governor Gavin Newsom escalated his public feud with President Donald Trump on Monday over the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles amid growing unrest over immigration enforcement actions. The controversy follows a series of protests sparked by large-scale U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that resulted in the arrest of more than 100 immigrants last week.
Demonstrators have flooded the streets of Los Angeles in opposition to the raids, as well as the federal response to the ensuing protests. Tensions intensified after the arrest of David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of California, during a demonstration on Friday. The move triggered further backlash from activists and drew national attention.
Many protesters have voiced strong opposition to the presence of the National Guard, which Trump ordered deployed over the weekend. The decision was made despite objections from Newsom, who has repeatedly clashed with Trump over federal intervention in state matters.
Trump, posting on his Truth Social platform, doubled down on his stance against the demonstrators and defended the use of force. “‘If they spit, we will hit.’ This is a statement from the President of the United States concerning the catastrophic Gavin-inspired Riots going on in Los Angeles,” he wrote. “The Insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen/women, and others.
These Patriots are told to accept this, it’s just the way life runs. But not in the Trump Administration. IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before.” Newsom responded with sharp criticism, sharing images on social media showing National Guard troops appearing to sleep on the floor of an industrial facility without proper accommodations.
“You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water, or a place to sleep,” Newsom wrote in response to Trump’s post. “Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump.”
The public clash marks the latest round in a long-running rivalry between the Democratic governor and the former Republican president. With protests ongoing and public outrage building over the treatment of both immigrants and federal personnel, the situation continues to fuel political tensions in California and beyond.