Gavin Newsom Fires Back at Trump, Calls for Troops in GOP States Battling High Crime
In a Thursday press conference, California Governor Gavin Newsom forcefully denied former President Donald Trump’s frequent threats to deploy the National Guard in Democratic-led communities. Newsom described his administration’s California crime-fighting efforts and urged Trump to send troops to Republican-led murder hotspots.
Governor Newsom said California Highway Patrol is growing in high-crime areas. He noted that Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have much higher homicide rates than California. To combat crime, Trump should target Republican strongholds with high crime rates, not Democratic ones, the governor argued.
The governor claims Mississippi has nearly twice the homicide rate of Los Angeles despite its smaller population. Louisiana, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s home state, has four times California’s homicide rate. Newsom said these numbers demonstrate increased violence in Trump-supporting states.
“If the President is serious about crime and violence, there’s no question that Louisiana and Mississippi are where he should be sending troops,” Newsom said, calling the bloodshed “unconscionable.” He also queried why Trump ignores problems in his strongholds, claiming Alabama is a top three murder state. Newsom said Trump’s frequent boasts about authoritarian rule and recent call to himself a “dictator” show he prioritizes politics over public safety.
Newsom’s office continued after the news conference. His team highlighted on social media that Mississippi’s homicide rate is several times greater than California’s, but Fox News ignored them. The organization also criticized national media bias and compared Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri, which had much higher homicide rates than California.
Trump routinely threatens to send the National Guard into Democratic-led Chicago and New York. He sent troops to Washington, D.C., triggering criticism and fears he may do likewise elsewhere. Critics say Trump uses federal troops in domestic issues to gain control rather than fight crime.
Public opinion on Trump’s strategy is split. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 38% of Americans support Trump’s National Guard deployment to D.C., 46% oppose it, and the rest are unclear. These findings show that Trump’s tough-on-crime rhetoric may not resonate with most Americans, especially in Republican-controlled states with high homicide rates.
Newsom contrasted California’s crime reduction efforts with GOP-led states’ low rates to refute Trump’s Democratic mismanagement accusation. Instead, he handled big crime in Republican-dominated areas. Newsom and Trump’s disagreement deepens ideological gaps and questions accountability for America’s most serious public safety issues.
Sources
CDC – 2023 Homicide and Crime Data
Reuters/Ipsos National Guard Deployment Opinion Poll
California Governor’s Office Press Briefings
