Newsom Says He’s Suing Trump For Sending National Guard To Portland
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he will continue the Trump administration for deploying 300 California National Guard troops in Portland without his consent.
In a press release, Newsom described the deployment of “mistreating the law and power” and accused President Donald Trump of using the army as a political weapon against American citizens.
Trump ordered Portland’s deployment last month, saying that an immigration and customs’ application center was “besieged by Antifa attack and other national terrorists”. The president published the announcement on Truth Social. (Related: the judge prevents Trump from sending troops to Portland)
Breaking: We continue Donald Trump.
Its deployment of the California National Guard in Oregon does not concern crime.
It is a question of power.
He uses our soldiers as political pawns to build his own ego.
It’s appalling. It’s not American.
And he must stop. pic.twitter.com/jdimgz8HDP
– Gavin Newsom (@gavinnewsom) October 5, 2025
A federal judge blocked a separate deployment of 200 Troops from the Oregon National Guard in Portland on Saturday. US District Judge Karin Immergut, appointed by Trump, granted state officials and local officials to a temporary prohibition order against the authorization of the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Oregon governor Tina Kotek, Attorney General Dan Rayfield and the mayor of Portland, Keith Wilson, challenged the characterization of the situation by Trump. The three Democrats filed a request for a ban on September 28, qualifying the illegal deployment.
This is the second time that Trump has federalized the California National Guard on Newsom’s objections. In June, the president sent 4,000 soldiers and 700 navies to Los Angeles during demonstrations against ice raids. A federal judge later ruled that the deployment had violated the Comitatus law of 1878, which prohibited the use of the military for the civil police.
Newsom said on Sunday that Trump did not have the constitutional authority to federalize state troops, except in the event of an invasion, rebellion or when the regular forces cannot execute the laws.
