California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President JD Vance exchanged a series of escalating public statements this week over the Trump administration’s federal response to widespread rioting in Los Angeles. The dispute, ignited by President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops and later U.S. Marines to restore order, quickly devolved into a high-profile confrontation between state and federal leadership.
The feud began when Newsom criticized Trump for allegedly endorsing the idea of detaining him. The governor had previously dared Border Czar Tom Homan to arrest him, to which Trump responded: “I would do it, if I was Tom,” adding that Newsom “likes the publicity.”
Newsom then declared the president’s comments a dangerous turn: “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor… this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
Vice President Vance was quick to weigh in. “Do your job. That’s all we’re asking,” he posted in response to Newsom’s outrage.
Newsom defended his administration, insisting California was under control until the federal deployment escalated tensions. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved,” he claimed, while omitting any mention of the two days of escalating anti-ICE violence preceding the Guard’s arrival or California’s sanctuary state status, which directly conflicts with federal immigration enforcement policies.
Vance responded with a detailed post accompanied by photos showing vehicles in flames and rioters vandalizing police units—images he said were taken before the Guard’s arrival. “Does this look like ‘no problem’?” he asked rhetorically.
Vance directly accused Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging the unrest to advance what he characterized as an open-border political agenda. He charged that California’s progressive leadership had consistently enabled mass illegal immigration, undermining law enforcement and burdening public services. “Democratic leadership has no solution for the economy, for prosperity, or for security,” Vance said. “They use their power… to import millions of illegal immigrants.”
Citing California’s expansion of Medicaid to undocumented immigrants, Vance argued that these policies have diverted resources from legal residents and incentivized further illegal migration. He then dismissed Newsom’s blame-shifting. “And now, everything is President Trump’s fault? Give me a break,” Vance said.
Vance concluded with a pointed indictment: “Your policies that allowed Los Angeles to turn into a war zone. You sure as hell had a problem before President Trump came along. The problem is YOU.”