Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) targeted President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance over their weekend excursions, arguing the time spent away from the White House could have been used to “explain” the National Guard presence in Los Angeles.
This weekend saw Trump attend the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey alongside first lady Melania Trump, while Vance traveled with his family to Disneyland in Southern California, where he was seen walking through one of the theme parks.
Newsom had earlier slammed Vance for the Disneyland visit on Saturday amid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids throughout the state, but his press office amplified the criticism on Sunday by blasting Trump’s visit as well, all while the National Guard remains deployed in Los Angeles after destructive riots across the second-most populous U.S. city.
“Trump has time for soccer. Vance has time for Disneyland. But neither has time to explain why nearly 5,000 troops are still deployed on American soil. Send the California National Guard home!” Newsom’s press office posted on X.
Newsom has long blasted the National Guard deployment that was ordered by Trump in early June amid the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles. At the time, he frequently deemed it unnecessary to quell the unrest that lasted for nearly a week and claimed it was only further stoking the violence.
The deployment order, which included over 4,000 troops, was immediately met with a legal challenge from Newsom, who deemed the order illegal. A U.S. district judge ruled in Newsom’s favor, but that ruling was later blocked in late June by an appeals court, eventually allowing Trump to maintain control of the deployment and keep troops in Los Angeles.
Most of those National Guard members have remained in the city, guarding federal property and immigration judges. The Pentagon did, however, pull 150 of those troops in early July to assist with fighting wildfires in the state.
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With the legal setbacks, Newsom has pivoted to insisting the National Guard members in Los Angeles are there “for nothing.”
“Nearly 5,000 soldiers — including police, paramedics, and first responders — are still sitting idle in L.A. for nothing,” Newsom said in early July.