'US should be alarmed': Newsom rejects Trump claim of call amid rising tensions over LA protests - 'No call, not even a voicemail'

California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that the two recently spoke, amid rising tensions over the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “I called him up to tell him he’s gotta do a better job,” adding that Governor Newsom was “causing a lot of potential death.”

But shortly after, Newsom contradicted the president on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.”

Marines and National Guard deployed to LA

President Trump has ordered 700 US Marines and doubled the number of National Guard troops to 4,000 to control the protests in Los Angeles, sparked by recent immigration raids. This action has drawn strong criticism from California’s leadership.

Newsom described the deployment as fulfilling “the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president.” The state has now filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that sending troops without state approval violates California’s sovereignty.

It marks the first time since 1965 that a US president has deployed troops to a city without the governor’s consent.

Trump floats idea of arresting Newsom

The situation escalated further when Trump was asked on Monday (June 9) if he would support the arrest of Governor Newsom. The president replied, “I would do it … I think it would be a great thing,” and went on to call the governor “grossly incompetent.”

Newsom responded strongly, saying, “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America.”

He added, “I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, this is a line we cannot cross as a nation, this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”

What are the LA protests about?

The protests erupted after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out a new wave of arrests in Los Angeles. This week alone, 118 people were detained in the city. Nationwide, ICE is reportedly making about 2,000 arrests per day.

These actions have angered city leaders and residents. All 15 members of the Los Angeles City Council issued a joint statement: “We condemn this in no uncertain terms: Los Angeles was built by immigrants and it thrives because of immigrants.”