"Lawsuit" vs "Arrest"...Major Clash Between Governor and President Over National Guard Deployment

Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Gavin Newsom, a ‘rising star’ from the Democratic Party, are clashing over large-scale protests in Los Angeles (LA), California’s largest city. Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California and a potential Democratic presidential candidate, has announced he will file a lawsuit against President Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard for protest control. President Trump, for his part, expressed support for Tom Homan, the White House's border czar, who warned of the possible arrest of Governor Newsom.

On the 9th (local time), Governor Newsom wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that amid the strong crackdown, including National Guard mobilization, protests had escalated, stating, “This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted,” and, “He attempted to escalate the situation and sought to deploy the National Guard at the federal level illegally.”

He pointed out that the authority over the National Guard is vested in the governor except in grave cases such as national insurrection, and criticized President Trump for directly issuing the mobilization order without his own request as governor. Newsom continued, “The order he (Trump) signed regarding the use of the National Guard in protest suppression does not apply to California,” adding, “We will file a lawsuit.”

In response, President Trump stated his support for Newsom’s arrest. During a meeting with reporters at The White House, President Trump was asked about Tom Homan, the border czar in charge of border issues, who warned that if illegal immigration enforcement was obstructed, Governor Newsom and Karen Bass, the LA mayor, could be arrested. Trump replied, “If I were Tom, I would do it. I think it’s a wonderful thing.”

President Trump further said, “Gavin did a terrible job,” adding, “I like Newsom and he’s a good person, but he’s utterly incompetent.” The President also wrote on Truth Social, a social networking service (SNS), that “the decision to dispatch the National Guard in response to violent and incited riots in California was an excellent decision,” and, “Had we not done so, LA would have been completely destroyed.”

Analysts say the confrontation between President Trump and Governor Newsom is driven by Trump’s political gambit and the resistance of a ‘rising star’ from the Democratic Party. An article in The New York Times evaluated that President Trump sees a political opportunity in this clash.

Reporter Jonghyun Song scream@hankyung.com