If he were border czar Tom Homan, he “would” arrest California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), President Donald Trump said.
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked the president outside of the White House on Monday, “He’s daring Tom Homan to come and arrest him. Should he do it?”
“I would do it I were Tom,” Trump responded.
“I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity. But I do think it would be a great thing,” Trump continued. “He’s done a terrible job. I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent. Everybody knows.”
Protests broke out in Los Angeles against federal immigration raids.
The president also said he believes “the people that are causing the problem are professional agitators. They’re insurrectionists. They’re bad people. They should be in jail.”
See Trump’s comments below:
Newsom fired back, writing on X, “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 authoritarianism,” he added.
Newsom spoke with MSNBC on Sunday evening, where he shared California plans to sue the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard to the state, per The Hill.
“Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He’s exacerbated the conditions. He’s, you know, lit the proverbial match. He’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,” Newsom said.
He continued, “And we’re going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow.”
The Democratic governor added that under President Donald Trump’s executive order, “it specifically notes — and under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state.”
Responding to Homan not ruling out arresting Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass if they interfered with immigration agents, the governor said, “Come after me, arrest me.”
“Let’s just get it over with, tough guy, you know? I don’t give a damn,” Newsom said. “But I care about my community. I care about this community.”
He added : “The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop and we need to push back. And I’m sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”
