Newsom Slams Trump as 'Not a King' in National Guard Power Clash

In a fiery clash over power, California Governor Gavin Newsom took a swing at President Trump, declaring he’s "not a king" after a Ninth Circuit Court ruling left Trump in control of the California National Guard. The decision, handed down Thursday, June 19, 2025, allowed Trump to keep troops deployed in Los Angeles to curb riots tied to anti-ICE protests, marking a rare presidential move to federalize a state’s National Guard without the governor’s nod—something not seen since 1965.

Newsom, however, found a silver lining in the court’s rejection of Trump’s claim that he could federalize the Guard at will without judicial oversight. "The President isn’t above the law," Newsom wrote on X, doubling down in a press statement vowing to challenge Trump’s "authoritarian" use of the military against citizens. Alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta, Newsom argued that using the Guard for domestic law enforcement violates federal law.

While the court acknowledged Trump’s failure to notify Newsom before deployment—a legal requirement—it ruled the governor had no veto power over the president’s order. The unanimous decision kept Trump’s authority intact, dealing a blow to Newsom’s push to rein in what he calls presidential overreach. Still, Newsom’s team hailed the ruling as a "critical check" on unchecked power, signaling the fight is far from over.

This tug-of-war over the National Guard underscores deeper tensions between state and federal authority, with Newsom framing it as a stand against autocracy. As the legal battle continues, the nation watches to see how far this power struggle will go.