Gavin Newsom fires back at AR governor, OK senator over murder rates
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom retaliated to posts made on X, formerly Twitter, by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sen. Markwayne Mullins (R-OK) regarding protest violence in Los Angeles.
Sanders posted a clip of her appearance on Fox News discussing the protests in Los Angeles.
In the post, Sanders added a caption summarizing her comments on the national news network. 'What's happening in California would never happen here in Arkansas because we value order over chaos. President @RealDonaldTrump does too, which is why he is doing what Governor Newsom won't,' Sanders wrote.
Newsom responded with a post referencing Arkansas' homicide rate.
'Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE California's,' Newsom wrote.
Sanders recently spoke with the Washington press corps about the Los Angeles protests as she was leaving the White House.
The governor said she was there to determine how Arkansas can best continue to support the president, 'and all the great things they are doing.'
California's Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have protested the use of troops to combat the protests.
Those siding with the protesters are illogical, Sanders said.
'To take place the fact that they're choosing rioters and criminals over American law enforcement is absolutely absurd,' the governor said. 'They've picked crazy over normal. I'm a big fan of order over chaos and I think the president is absolutely 100% right to step in.'
Mullin, who represents Oklahoma's 2nd District, which includes LeFlore County and Sequoyah County, posted a video on X expressing his support of President Donald Trump's decision to send the National Guard to address the protests in Los Angeles.
In that post Mullin added the caption, 'The Left is claiming pro-illegal alien mob violence in LA is the result of federal law enforcement presence. Literally *nobody* believes that. America is sick of illegal immigration and weak, lawless liberal leadership. Now, Newsom is suing @POTUS. Rich.'
Newsom wrote in response, 'If you want to discuss violence, let's start with your state's murder rate — which is 40% higher than California's.'
In April, Mullin said he 'joked' in a video posted on social media, claiming journalists would not write 'fake news' if violence was still used to handle disputes.
Mullin posted the video on X of him in the United States Capitol describing the 1890 shooting and killing of Rep. William Taulbee by newspaper reporter Charles Kincaid.
'Now, there's a lot we could say about reporters and the stories they write, but I bet they would write a lot less false stories — as President Trump says, 'fake news' — if we could still handle our differences that way,' Mullin said in the video.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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