President Donald Trump publicly accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of lying Tuesday after Newsom denied speaking with the president about the ongoing unrest in Los Angeles. Trump responded by releasing what he claims is definitive evidence: a 16-minute call log showing a conversation between the two men on June 7.
Fox News’ John Roberts posted the screenshot on X, along with a message relayed directly from Trump:
“First call was not picked up. Second call, Gavin picked up, we spoke for 16 minutes. I told him to, essentially, ‘get his a** in gear,’ and stop the Riots, which were out of control. More than anything else, this shows what a liar he is – said I never called. Here is the evidence.”
The dispute stems from Newsom’s assertion that Trump had not contacted him regarding the deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. In a social media post, Newsom said:
“There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.”
Trump, meanwhile, told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday that he had spoken to Newsom “a day ago” to pressure him to restore control in Los Angeles.
“He’s doing a bad job causing a lot of death and a lot of potential death,” Trump said. “If we didn’t send out the National Guard—and last night we gave him a little additional help—Los Angeles would be burning right now.”
Since Friday, riots have rocked the Los Angeles area following an ICE raid. Protesters have burned vehicles, clashed with law enforcement, and flown foreign flags. In response, Trump first deployed 2,000 National Guard troops and later escalated the military presence by dispatching several hundred Marines and an additional 2,000 guardsmen on Monday night.
Governor Newsom has vigorously opposed the deployments, accusing the administration of acting unilaterally and unconstitutionally. California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the president cannot deploy state National Guard units without the consent of state leaders unless under extraordinary conditions.
