By Ben Meiselas
California Governor Gavin Newsom just issued a powerful response to Trump’s military operation in Los Angeles—and if you watched my report last night, you know this was coming. I told you this was illegal. I walked you through the statute myself. And now, Governor Gavin Newsom’s legal team is echoing that exact legal analysis in a scathing official letter to Trump’s Defense Secretary—former Fox News host turned wannabe warlord, Pete Hegseth.
Let’s be clear: Trump’s decision to federalize 2,000 members of the California National Guard—without the governor’s consent and in violation of federal law—is not just an overreach. It’s an unconstitutional authoritarian stunt. This isn’t about law and order. This is about power and control. This is about Trump trying to crush dissent and stoke chaos in the most dangerous and militarized way possible.
Newsom’s letter lays it out: Trump’s use of 10 U.S.C. §12406 to justify this move is patently unlawful. The statute allows federalization of state National Guards only to repel an invasion, suppress a rebellion, or execute laws if the president can’t do so with regular forces. None of those conditions are remotely met here. Instead, Trump skipped over the governor entirely—another violation of the law—and unleashed chaos on the streets of Los Angeles.
We’re already seeing the results on the ground: protestors tear-gassed, flashbangs deployed, people dragged through the streets. This isn’t peacekeeping. It’s provocation. Trump and Hegseth want the chaos. They’re intentionally escalating it. And they’re threatening to go even further—with Trump literally saying, “We’re going to have troops everywhere.”
That’s not leadership. That’s dictatorship. And even Newsom is calling it exactly that.
Newsom isn’t alone. Every Democratic governor in America just issued a joint statement condemning Trump’s actions as a dangerous abuse of power. They’re standing united with California—and so should we. Because this isn’t just about one state. This is about whether we still live in a democracy or under the boots of a regime that answers protest with military force.
Make no mistake: lawsuits are coming. California will challenge this in court. And we’ll cover every moment of it here. But while the lawyers gear up, we need to stay vigilant, informed, and loud. Trump is testing the limits of what he can get away with. It’s on us to say: enough.
Watch my latest report about what’s going on in Los Angeles above. Remember to add the MeidasTouch Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and continue to spread the word.
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