California Gov. Gavin Newsom is being mocked online for an "embarrassing" televised address Tuesday night that included several technology meltdowns, resulting in the governor not being audible for parts of his speech. (Getty Images)
But Trump and his allies have persisted with a clear message for Democrats: This is not 2020.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who previously served as governor of South Dakota, defended the Trump administration’s decision to deploy and federalize troops and override state authority, claiming Minnesota is an example of what happens when a "bad governor" is in charge.
"I was a governor of a neighboring state to Tim Walz and watched him let his city burn," Noem told reporters Tuesday. "And the president and I have talked about this in the past, and he was not going to let that happen to another city and to another community where a bad governor made a bad decision."
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Other administration officials expressed similar sentiments.
"This isn’t the Summer of 2020 2.0," DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar said in a statement Monday. "I thank the brave men and women of the National Guard defending federal buildings so that immigration officials can keep us safe."
Walz was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2019, leading the state as protests broke out after the death of Floyd. While Walz has said he takes the blame for a delayed response activating the National Guard in his state, he has also said he is proud of how Minnesota reacted.
Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard troops standing guard outside the Federal Building as they protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles June 9, 2025. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has also moved to exert greater authority over the National Guard than he did in 2020, bypassing Newsom’s authority. While Republicans like Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas pushed Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in 2020 to pave the way for Trump to federalize the National Guard, Trump ultimately chose not to.
Although separate from the Insurrection Act, Trump has invoked another law to place National Guard troops under federal command this time around, prompting ire from Newsom and other Democrats.
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Additionally, Newsom has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for federalizing the National Guard, labeling the move an "unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
"Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority," Newsom said in a statement Monday. "This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic. Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach."
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/trump-sends-clear-message-federalizing-national-guard-la-riots-not-2020