On Friday, Vice President JD Vance lambasted California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, asserting that their opposition to federal immigration raids is putting law enforcement officers’ lives at risk.
During a brief visit to Los Angeles, where he met with federal, state, and local officials, Vance defended President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to take control of California National Guard troops from Newsom and deploy them in Los Angeles. This decision has sparked a legal conflict between state and federal authorities.
“What happened here was a tragedy,” Vance stated to reporters, suggesting that the local leaders incited a hostile environment for law enforcement. “You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law, and you had rioters, egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job.”
Both Newsom and Bass have been vocal critics of the federal immigration raids, which led to protests and occasional violent clashes with law enforcement. However, they have consistently urged demonstrators to maintain peace.
Mayor Bass, who was not part of Vance’s meeting, refuted his claims during a news conference, expressing disappointment over his lack of understanding about Los Angeles.
“Unfortunately, the vice president did not take time to learn about our city and understand that our city is a city of immigrants from every country and continent on the planet,” she remarked. “But then again, he did need to justify the hundreds of millions of wasted taxpayer dollars that were wasted in the performance of a stunt.
“How dare you say that city officials encourage violence,” Bass continued. “We kept the peace.”
In a series of tweets on social media platform X, Governor Newsom weighed in on Vance’s remarks, particularly criticizing the vice president for misnaming Senator Alex Padilla during his press conference.
Padilla was briefly detained by federal law enforcement after he attempted to question U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during an earlier event.
“I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn’t a theater, and that’s all it is,” Vance commented.
Expressing disappointment at Vance’s remarks, Padilla spoke on MSNBC the next day. “He knows my name,” he insisted. “Look, sadly, it’s just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is. But he’s the vice president of the United States. You think he’d take the situation in Los Angeles more seriously.”
Vance’s visit, which lasted approximately five hours, coincided with the Republican National Committee’s annual summer retreat in Beverly Hills, where tickets to a fundraiser he attended cost as much as $445,000.
Arriving at LAX around 1:35 p.m., Vance toured the Federal Building Command Center, which hosts an FBI Mobile Command Center utilized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He received briefings from various federal and state agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Los Angeles Police Department.
However, reporters traveling with the vice president were restricted from covering his meetings due to classified information at the facility. Vance was also scheduled to meet with Marines during his visit.
In his discussions with federal officials, Vance described the actions of Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass as “disgraceful,” referring to the protests as “riots” and highlighting the justification for deploying the California National Guard.
“We have to remember that the day that the riots started, before there was ever a single national Guardsman, before the president of the United States had sent in additional resources, you had law enforcement officers that were being captured and beaten by a violent mob, egged on by Gavin Newsom and other officials,” he asserted. “It was necessary to send in the National Guard to stop that process to bring some order back to this great city.”
Vance’s visit coincides with ongoing legal battles over the control of the California National Guard. President Trump ordered the federalization of the troops in response to the protests sparked by the immigration raids.
On Thursday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the troops would remain under federal control while litigation continues. A federal judge in San Francisco has requested briefs from both state and federal attorneys regarding the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits federal military involvement in civilian law enforcement. This legal framework is at the heart of the legal arguments surrounding the deployment.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has vowed to contest the Trump administration’s decision rigorously. The ongoing feud has led to a barrage of accusations between Newsom and Trump administration officials, with Vance notably not meeting with California’s highest elected officials during this visit.
“The White House chose not to engage with us directly ahead of the visit,” a statement from the governor’s office read. “We’ve yet to receive any official notice of the Vice President’s trip — which, from what we understand, is focused on a high-dollar fundraiser.”
In a video posted on X, Newsom directly addressed Vance, urging him to engage with disaster recovery needs following the destructive Palisades and Altadena fires.
“It’s been months now since some of the most devastating wildfires in U.S. history occurred — tens of thousands of lives completely torn asunder,” Newsom said. “I hope you have an opportunity to spend some quality time with some of the victims of the families in the Palisades and also spend some time in Altadena, which is incredibly important.”
Newsom also highlighted the necessity for Vance to discuss with President Trump his comments earlier in the week regarding potential cuts in disaster relief for communities affected by the wildfires.
“It’s honestly important as well, and I honestly mean this, that you sit down with the president of the United States, who just a couple of days ago suggested that these American citizens may not get the support that other citizens get all across this country in terms of disaster relief,” Newsom stated. “I hope we get that back on track. We’re counting on you, Mr. Vice President.”
image source from：latimes
