In a controversial and incendiary statement, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday called for California Governor Gavin Newsom to be "tarred and feathered" amid intensifying political clashes over the federal government’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles. Johnson made the comment during a House Republican leadership press conference, where he stopped short of advocating Newsom’s arrest but said the governor should be publicly punished for obstructing federal enforcement actions.
Johnson accused Newsom of siding with "the bad guys" and claimed the governor was actively hindering law enforcement operations targeting undocumented migrants. “He’s standing in the way of the administration carrying out federal law,” Johnson said. “He is a participant, an accomplice.”
The inflammatory remark comes as California continues to reel from a fourth day of unrest triggered by mass immigration raids and President Trump’s controversial decision to deploy 700 US Marines and over 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The deployment, which bypassed state authorization, has prompted the state of California to file a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing the president of acting on dictatorial ambitions.
In response to the federal show of force, Governor Newsom denounced the move as "a step toward authoritarianism" and accused Trump of ego-driven militarism. “This is about stroking a dangerous president’s ego,” Newsom said. In an open challenge, he dared Trump’s immigration chief Tom Homan to arrest him, stating, “Come after me, arrest me, let’s just get it over with tough guy. I don’t give a damn.”
Homan, Trump’s appointed Border Czar, had earlier warned that elected officials who obstruct immigration enforcement could face felony charges. Trump supported Homan’s stance and added, “I think it’s great. I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy. But he’s grossly incompetent.”
The militarized federal response has drawn criticism from legal scholars and civil rights advocates who point to the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of the US military in domestic law enforcement. The last time Marines were deployed domestically was during Hurricane Katrina and the Mumbai 26/11 attacks. As the legal and political battle escalates, the streets of Los Angeles remain tense. With over 4,700 federal personnel on the ground and ongoing protests, the standoff between California’s state leadership and the White House shows no sign of easing.
