Newsom denies Trump spoke to him before deploying more National Guard troops
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Police officers in riot gear stage outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 9 in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday said President Trump did not speak with him, despite deploying additional National Guardsmen to respond to Los Angeles protests.
Why it matters: Trump claimed he had spoken with the governor on Monday and criticized his handling of the rallies against Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions.
- "There was no call. Not even a voicemail," Newsom said on X. "Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to."
Driving the news: Trump, speaking to the media on Tuesday, said he last talked with Newsom "a day ago."
- "Called him up to tell him, got to do a better job," Trump said. "He's doing a bad job, causing a lot of death and a lot of potential death."
- White House spokesperson Steven Cheung on Tuesday said Trump called Newsom "to tell him to get his ass in gear."
Reality check: California authorities have not reported any deaths during the protests.
- Los Angeles police said they arrested 96 people on Monday night for failure to disperse. Law enforcement also arrested 14 people for looting.
- Additionally, three people were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and vandalism — respectively.
Context: The Marines deployed to LA have not yet responded to immigration protests.
- They are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater LA area, according to a Monday press release.
State of play: Federal immigration sweeps in Los Angeles prompted days of protests.
- "That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions," Newsom said when Trump deployed 2,000 soldiers.
- The Trump administration deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to California on Saturday night. On Monday, the Defense Department mobilized 700 U.S. Marines, followed by another 2,000 Guard troops.
- The deployments will cost $134 million, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Zoom out: Trump on Monday suggested Newsom should be arrested as their feud escalated.
- Border czar Tom Homan previously said he wouldn't rule out arresting Democratic officials if they impede law enforcement or harbor undocumented immigrants.
- Newsom dared Homan to arrest him, saying in an interview with MSNBC that Homan "knows where to find me."
Go deeper: Nearly half of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump's handling of protests: Poll
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details throughout.
