In a televised interview with reporters June 9, President Donald Trump suggested that California Gov. Gavin Newsom should be arrested.
In the clip, a reporter can be heard telling Trump that Newsom is “daring” border czar Tom Homan to come and arrest him, before asking Trump if Homan should “do it.” The reporter was referencing an interview the night before Newsom had done with MSNBC’s Jacob Soboroff, where Newsom did, in fact, dare Homan to arrest him.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said, pursing his lips as he appeared to consider the question. “I think it’s great.”
The question was asked shortly after Trump stepped off Marine One, and some of the president’s remarks are difficult to make out over the sound of the helicopter.
“He’s done a terrible job,” Trump continued. “I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy. But he’s grossly incompetent. Everybody knows. All you have to do is look at the little railroad he’s building. It’s about a hundred times over budget.”
Newsom vehemently decried Trump’s remarks, characterizing them as a descent into authoritarianism.
“The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America,” Newsom tweeted just after 10 a.m. Pacific time. “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.”
The White House is not actively discussing or planning Newsom’s arrest. But Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview June 9 that the governor would be vulnerable to charges if he “obstructed” the Trump administration’s efforts.
“It is a basic principle in this country that if you break the law, you will face a consequence for that,” Leavitt said. “So if the governor obstructs federal enforcement, or breaks federal laws, then he is subjecting himself to arrest.”
—Julia Wick and Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times (TNS)
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