California governor says Trump ‘putting ego over responsibility’ as military show shuts highway | San Diego
California Governor Gavin Newsom accused Donald Trump of “putting ego before responsibility” during a military demonstration involving live shelling on a major highway in the southern state.
Newsom said security concerns related to the event forced state officials to close part of busy Interstate 5 near the U.S. base at Camp Pendleton on Saturday.
“The president is putting his ego ahead of his responsibilities with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “Firing live ammunition on a busy highway is not only wrong: it is dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with is not force: it is reckless, disrespectful and inconsistent with the position he holds.”
In a previous article on X, Newsom condemned the event as an “absurd show of force” and “totally unjustified.”
U.S. Navy officials said there was nothing dangerous about the exercise at Camp Pendleton, where artillery fire is common, and there was no need to disrupt traffic on Interstate 5, which is the main highway along the Pacific coast between San Diego and Los Angeles.
The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that the military event would involve “live federal fire on the highway” and called for a temporary closure of part of the highway due to safety risks and distractions for drivers.
The event celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marines and included a demonstration of live-fire amphibious capabilities at Red Beach in Oceanside in northwest San Diego County.
Vice President JD Vance, a former enlisted Marine who served in Iraq, spoke at the event attended by thousands of Marines, sailors, veterans and families, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also delivered remarks.
“The capabilities demonstration will include integrated Navy and Marine Corps operations in the air, on land and at sea,” the Marines’ statement said.
The dispute underscored growing tensions between Trump and California’s governor, who has frequently challenged the presidential administration’s decisions.
Earlier in October, the Navy hosted the president aboard an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia to celebrate the same military anniversary. Trump turned the event into a political rally.
Saturday’s military event coincided with No Kings rallies and marches held across the United States, including in several locations in California, aligning behind a message that the nation’s slide toward authoritarian rule under Trump must end.
Newsom warned rally attendees: “I urge our nation to use this weekend’s No Kings marches as a declaration of independence against the tyranny and anarchy that currently runs this country. Use your voice. ACT PEACEFULLY. Protect yourself and your community. THERE ARE NO KINGS IN THE UNITED STATES.”
In a statement to the New York Times, a Vance spokesman, William Martin, said Newsom misled the public about the security risk of Saturday’s event. He said it was routine training. “If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose training exercises that ensure our armed forces are the deadliest and deadliest fighting force in the world, then he can move forward,” Martin said.
Matt Rocco, a spokesperson for the California Department of Transportation, said, “This is all due to the military event ordered by the White House, and for the safety of the public, we have to close the highway because they are sending live munitions down the highway.” »
Rocco said the I5 closure could cost those commuting between San Diego and Los Angeles up to two additional hours. The highway carries 80,000 travelers and $94 million in freight through the corridor daily, according to the governor’s office. Passenger rail services paralleling I5 were also canceled for the afternoon.
