California Governor Gavin Newsom is taking a stand against the Trump administration after Border Patrol agents showed up at a press conference in Los Angeles. Newsom is now officially asking the federal government for information about the whole thing, calling the incident an attempt to intimidate political opponents.
The press conference was at the Japanese American National Museum’s National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, where Newsom was announcing a new redistricting plan for California. The plan is designed to redraw congressional lines as a direct response to a similar effort in Texas, which could give the Republican Party and the president a big advantage in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
The presence of a bunch of armed and masked Border Patrol agents at the event drew immediate fire from Newsom. He believes the agents’ presence was a scare tactic meant to intimidate people who are working to defend a fair electoral process. This is something we’ve seen from dictators, not politicians in a safe democracy.
Trump is sending his thugs to scare political opponents
Taking his concerns to social media, Newsom stated that the actions were a dangerous step toward authoritarianism, drawing comparisons to tactics used by leaders “he admires in Russia and North Korea.” Newsom wants the Trump administration to provide some answers for what he called “pathetic and cowardly behavior.”
The Trump administration needs to answer for this pathetic and cowardly behavior.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) August 17, 2025
To get these answers, he has filed a freedom of information request with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This request is looking for all documents and records related to the operation, including anything that mentions the governor or the rally. The request also asks for any communications between federal law enforcement officials and Fox News, which had a reporter embedded with the Border Patrol agents.
BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED! pic.twitter.com/Bu4gmbeY40
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 14, 2025
It’s not just Newsom who’s upset, either. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the raid. She believes that the action, which happened so close to Newsom’s press conference, was not a coincidence. Bass also said that Los Angeles will not be intimidated by these actions.
The DHS has since responded to the criticism. Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary, said that Bass must be misinformed, stating that law enforcement operations are only about enforcing the law and have nothing to do with Governor Newsom. She added that Border Patrol agents are in various areas of Los Angeles daily, with multiple teams working to keep the city safe. It’s hard to believe it was just a coincidence, especially since Trump seems to love dictators lately.
Newsom’s new plan, called the Election Rigging Response Act, is designed to counter Texas’s new electoral maps, which could give the president’s party more US House seats. The governor said his plan would neutralize the Texas proposal, ensuring the electoral process remains fair.
