SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Governor Gavin Newsom unleashed a scathing attack on President Donald Trump Monday, accusing him of a “breathtaking abuse of the law and power” by deploying military forces into Democratic-run cities, pushing the U.S. “on the brink of martial law.”
The fiery warning comes amid escalating federal interventions in states like Oregon and Illinois, where Trump has mobilized National Guard troops to quell protests against his administration’s aggressive immigration crackdowns—moves Newsom and other blue-state leaders decry as unconstitutional overreach.
Newsom’s outburst followed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s authorization of 400 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois, Oregon, and other Democratic strongholds, where demonstrations have erupted over ICE raids and family separations.
In a post on X, Newsom wrote: “This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power by the President of the United States. America is on the brink of martial law. Do not be silent.”
He framed the deployments as an assault on state sovereignty, urging Americans to speak out against what he called a slide toward authoritarianism.
The controversy intensified over the weekend when federal judges twice blocked Trump’s attempts to send troops to Portland to safeguard immigration detention facilities, ruling the threats were based on “pure fiction.”
Trump appealed both decisions, but Oregon officials hailed the rulings as victories for the rule of law.
Illinois Governor Speaks Out
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, whose state is now hosting Texas troops without his consent, echoed Newsom’s fury: “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.”
Pritzker added, “There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Trump ally, defended the move, authorizing the Guard’s deployment to “ensure safety for federal officials.” He boasted, “You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it. No Guard can match the training, skill, and expertise of the Texas National Guard. They defend our country with pride.”
A Call for Unnecessary Division by President Donald Trump?
Trump’s rhetoric has only fanned the flames.
Speaking to military staff, he described Democrats as the “enemy within,” saying they are “no different than a foreign enemy—but more difficult in many ways, because they don’t wear uniforms.”
During a naval parade, he dismissed opposition as “this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrats.”
White House adviser Stephen Miller justified the crackdown, stating, “It is the absolute moral and constitutional duty of the federal government to stop this terrorism, defend the lives and safety of federal officers, and protect the American citizen and nation by ensuring the full and unrestricted enforcement of federal immigration law in all fifty states.”
Newsom’s planned lawsuit against the administration over the use of California’s National Guard in Portland—deployed after a court blocked federalization of Oregon’s—highlights the legal battles brewing.
“This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” Newsom stated, vowing to fight the “unlawful” actions that infringe on governors’ roles as commander-in-chief.
As protests swell and courts weigh in, Trump’s strategy to federalize responses in “blue cities” risks deepening divides, with Democratic leaders warning of a dangerous precedent that could normalize military patrols in American streets.
Should military presence across U.S. cities be normalized? Or is this starting to look a little more like a picture from the Handmaid’s Tale?
Also Read: A MAGA Lawyer Has Now Been Disqualified from Multiple Cases
Follow us on X: @NezMediaCompany
