President Donald Trump turned up the heat on California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying it would be “a great thing” if his border czar, Tom Homan, arrested Newsom for obstructing immigration enforcement during the Los Angeles riots.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said. “Gavin likes the attention. He’s a nice guy, but he’s completely incompetent.”
The remark follows escalating tensions between the Trump administration and California leadership, as federal agents and National Guard troops moved in to restore order after days of violent, anti-ICE riots rocked Los Angeles. Rioters blocked highways, set vehicles on fire, and attacked federal officers with fireworks and concrete—prompting Trump to invoke federal authority and send in troops.
Homan, the former ICE Director now serving as Trump’s border czar, had previously warned that state officials who interfere with lawful immigration enforcement could face felony charges. That includes both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who have openly defied federal directives and called the National Guard deployment “unlawful.”
Newsom lashed out at Trump’s comments, accusing him of threatening democracy. “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting governor. This is a line we cannot cross,” Newsom posted.
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… pic.twitter.com/tsTX1nrHAu
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025
But Trump’s team shows no signs of backing down. The administration maintains that state leaders encouraging obstruction—and giving cover to violent mobs—are not immune from legal consequences.
The California governor has already filed suit against the federal deployment, and left-wing media has tried to cast the president’s remarks as authoritarian. But Trump’s message is clear: if elected officials refuse to enforce the law, or worse—stand in its way—there should be consequences.
Trump’s stance has fired up his base and escalated what’s shaping up to be a defining fight between law-and-order leadership and the defiant sanctuary-state playbook.