As Los Angeles smolders from a third consecutive night of anti-ICE riots, California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a legal counteroffensive against President Donald Trump, announcing plans to sue the federal government over the deployment of National Guard troops to the city. The move comes even as the LAPD openly admits it is overwhelmed and as federal officials brace for further unrest with additional troops and Marines on standby.
Despite mass chaos unfolding across Los Angeles, Newsom doubled down Sunday night, insisting that the situation was under control—even as rioters shut down the 101 Freeway, firebombed driverless vehicles, and attacked law enforcement with bricks, fireworks, and motorcycles.
“We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved,” Newsom posted on X, blaming the president for escalating tensions rather than the violent mobs terrorizing downtown LA.
This, after LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell admitted on live television:
“We are overwhelmed… Tonight, we had individuals out there shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you.”
Even so, Newsom’s formal letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded the immediate withdrawal of 300 deployed Guardsmen, asserting that the federalization of state troops violated California’s sovereignty. His soon-to-be-filed lawsuit aims to challenge Trump’s authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406, the same statute used to federalize the Guard in times of domestic unrest.
President Trump has authorized up to 2,000 National Guard troops to secure federal facilities and assist overwhelmed law enforcement. So far, 300 have arrived, with 1,700 more standing by, as Defense Secretary Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon has also positioned 500 U.S. Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton ready to deploy.
.@CAgovernor says he’s suing Pres. Trump. 🚨
…For taking control of a situation that Gavin Newscum enabled.
Solid stuff per usual from the Democratic party. pic.twitter.com/JeeYMxIzm9
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 9, 2025
This military posture isn’t abstract—ICE facilities have been attacked, federal agents injured, and local police unable to respond in real time. Saturday’s assaults led to at least 27 arrests, and three officers injured, including one nearly run down by a motorcycle.
The FBI is now offering $50,000 rewards for suspects tied to assaults on officers and has even added one rioter to its Most Wanted list.
Newsom’s message is unequivocal: he sees Trump’s action as a political maneuver, not a public safety response.
“There’s no working with the president. There’s only working for him,” Newsom declared. “And I will never work for Donald Trump.”
Mayor Karen Bass echoed the sentiment, claiming the troop deployment was a “chaotic escalation” and warning that having “troops on the ground when there is absolutely no need” would incite further violence.
The problem? That position appears completely detached from events on the ground—where buildings are being vandalized, Waymo vehicles exploded, and federal officers forced to take cover behind barricades.
On Truth Social, President Trump didn’t mince words.
“These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists,” he posted, labeling the chaos in LA as the work of “paid insurrectionists” and accusing Newsom and Bass of failing their constituents.
“Governor Gavin Newscum and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles… Looking really bad L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!”
Trump’s framing of the unrest as a deliberate assault on federal authority adds legal and symbolic weight to the deployment—and puts Newsom’s legal challenge on a collision course with the federal government.
