President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport Jan. 24, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, first suggested in an interview with NBC News Saturday that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could face arrest if they hamper any federal efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
In response, Newsom appeared to taunt Homan to take him into custody.
"He’s a tough guy. Why doesn’t he do that? He knows where to find me," Newsom told MSNBC News Sunday. "That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go."
When asked about threats to arrest Newsom, Trump told reporters Monday that Newsom’s primary crime "is running for governor because he's done such a bad job," adding he would arrest Newsom if he were Homan.
Newsom voiced disappointment in response to Trump’s remarks and cautioned the threats amounted to a step toward authoritarianism.
NATIONAL GUARD TO BE DEPLOYED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY AS ANTI-ICE PROTESTS RAGE: BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump meet in January during the wildfires in Los Angeles. (Pool)
The two have sparred over Trump’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to California after protests launched Friday in response to recent arrests in the city by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While Trump has argued the National Guard troops are necessary to prevent destruction in Los Angeles, Newsom has said the deployment violated California’s state sovereignty. State governors usually oversee National Guard troops, but Trump invoked a law to place the troops under federal command so he could circumvent Newsom.
On Monday, Newsom said most of the troops "are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders."
"This isn’t about public safety," Newsom said in a Monday post on X. "It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newsom-addresses-trumps-threat-arrest-him-two-spar-over-la-riot-response-point-no-return