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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he has crafted a plan in the event the Trump administration arrests him after he and President Donald Trump went head-to-head over the handling of the immigration protests in Los Angeles.
Newsom said he and his team have “processed” what it would mean for him if the Trump administration secured a federal warrant for his arrest, Newsom said in an interview with the “Pod Save America” podcast hosted by former Obama administration officials that aired Monday night.
“What’s so absurd about that question is I’ve actually thought about it,” Newsom said when asked about preparations in the event authorities take him into custody.
“The fact that we are even having that conversation with our folks, and have had that conversation with our folks in the United States in 2025, I mean, it says everything you need to know about who’s in the White House right now,” Newsom said.
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Newsom also addressed the arrest threats in an interview with The Washington Post published Tuesday, signaling that the relationship between the two had reached a point beyond repair.
“He just threatened my arrest. One would assume, or presume, that’s the point of no return,” Newsom told The Washington Post. “I’m constitutionally capable of working with people, even those that call for my arrest. So, I remain resolved in that respect, as I remain resolved to have the backs of kids whose lives are being threatened by his authoritarian tendencies.”
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.
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“The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,” Newsom said Monday in a post on X. “This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
Meanwhile, Homan appeared to soften his original statement, saying an arrest would only happen if a crime were committed by Newsom and Bass.
“Well, that whole thing’s been taken out of context,” Homan said. “They haven’t crossed a line yet, but like any other U.S. citizen, if you cross that line, I don’t care who they are. The governor, the mayor, whatever — when you commit a crime against ICE officers, we will seek prosecution.”
Newsom, who was first elected governor in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, has drawn the ire of Trump for how he’s handled multiple issues in his state, including the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles in January.
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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.
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