AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) mocked President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he would be withdrawing National Guard troops from several Democratic cities.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump announced that the National Guard would be withdrawn from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland “despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities.”
He went on to predict that the National Guard would “come back…when crime begins to soar again,” which would only be “a question of time!” before attacking “incompetent” Democratic mayors and governors for wanting the federal troops to leave “considering all the great progress that has been made.”
Newsom and his staff were quick to hit back at the president, claiming that National Guard troops were being removed not under Trump’s direction, but rather due to court rulings.
“We won in court and forced him to,” wrote the Governor’s press office, responding to Trump’s post. “Trump’s rambling here is the political version of ‘you can’t fire me, I quit.””
“About time @realDonaldTrump admitted defeat,” said Newsom. “We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”
In an expanded statement, the California governor wrote:
The President deployed these brave men and women against their own communities and without regard for the constitution and federal law. We welcome our California National Guard servicemembers back to state service, where they can continue to serve and protect the people of California — long delayed due to Trump’s political theater.
I direct California National Guard leadership to work expeditiously to return state service members home to be with their families as soon as possible following their demobilization from federal service.
Several legal challenges have been filed by the cities and states affected by Trump’s National Guard deployments. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-3 decision, that Trump had failed to establish the “exceptional” circumstances that would legally authorize him to federalize the National Guard troops in Chicago.
A federal judge in the Northern District of California ruled in December that the president’s control of the state’s National Guard was “contrary to law,” but an appeals court paused a separate part of the order that required control of the Guard to be return to Newsom.
In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration withdrew their motion for that stay pending appeal, allowing the Ninth Circuit to officially order the December ruling to take effect and for state control over the National Guard to be returned.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the development a “major litigation victory” in a press release.
“While our rule of law remains under threat, our democratic institutions are holding. My office is not backing down — and we’re ready for whatever fights lie ahead,” he said.
