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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Monday he would support the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom over possible obstruction of his administration's immigration enforcement measures, amid protests in the state.
Trump border czar Tom Homan threatened on Saturday to arrest anyone who obstructed enforcement efforts in the state, including Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Both sharply criticized the Republican president's deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles.
"I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing," Trump told reporters upon arrival at the White House.
Newsom, a Democrat, responded that he hoped he would never see the day that a president called for the arrest of a sitting governor.
"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," Newsom said in a post on X. "It's just more talk, more bluff, more bluster, more threats," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Monday at a press conference in which he announced that the state was suing the Trump administration over its deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles.
