Newsom Warns Trump of Legal Action Over Potential National Guard Deployment to San Francisco
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a sharp warning to the Trump administration, declaring that the state will take legal action if National Guard troops are deployed to San Francisco without authorization.
The statement came after former President Donald Trump announced plans to send federal troops to several major U.S. cities in an effort to combat rising crime and address immigration issues. Newsom, however, denounced the proposal as unconstitutional and promised an immediate legal challenge should the administration move forward.
The governor accused Trump of distorting California’s public safety record, pointing out that San Francisco has actually seen declines in several key crime categories, including homicides. “The data simply doesn’t support the narrative being pushed out of Washington,” Newsom said, emphasizing that the city remains committed to community-based policing and local oversight.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie echoed the governor’s position, arguing that the deployment of National Guard troops would do little to enhance safety. “The National Guard doesn’t have the authority to make arrests, and their presence would not address the root causes of crime,” Lurie said, reinforcing the city’s stance against federal intervention.
Both state and local leaders have framed the dispute as a constitutional matter — one that strikes at the heart of state sovereignty and the separation of powers. They contend that any federal deployment of troops without state consent would constitute executive overreach.
Newsom concluded his remarks with a pledge to stand firm against what he described as authoritarian interference. “California will continue to defend our people, our laws, and our values,” he said. “We won’t be bullied into surrendering our constitutional rights.”