Gavin Newsom is mercilessly mocked for posting 'war room' photo during LA riots

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

California Governor Gavin Newsom is under fire for posting a 'war room' style photo of officials meeting while Los Angeles was being torched by rioters.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of LA for a third day on Sunday to protest President Donald Trump 's crackdown on illegal immigration.
Rioters looted downtown businesses, blocked off a major freeway, set self-driving cars on fire and wreaked havoc on the city.
Newsom, however, was meeting with state emergency officials, LA police and the LA County Sheriff's Department as the chaos unfolded.
Sharing a photo of the meeting on social media, he said authorities had gathered to 'respond to protests provoked by chaos from Washington'.
The Democrat further blamed the president for the riots, saying: 'We're here to keep the peace - not play into Trump's political games.'
But his remark was quickly met with backlash as outraged citizens branded him a 'clown' and begged him to 'stop escalating the situation'.
One angry social media user even went as far as urging that 'every person in that room who swore an oath to the Constitution should get up, walk out, or face arrest and trial later for their insurrectionist behavior'.
In his post, Newsom blamed President Donald Trump for the riots, saying: 'We're here to keep the peace - not play into Trump's political games'
Newsom, along with other California state and local officials, accuse Trump of inflaming initially small-scale protests by mounting a federal response.
Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to LA on Sunday to help quell a third day of protests - a step Newsom called unlawful.
But social media users blasted Newsom and his war room crew for seemingly doing nothing while the city descended into chaos.
'Looks like you're there for the photo op,' one posted to X. This clown thought it was a good idea to show him in his control room with two televisions broadcasting his streets on fire,' echoed another.
'You probably have no idea what to do so "let's take a photo and release it",' added another.
Newsom was also slammed for placing blame on Trump when state and local officials were 'absolutely failing at keeping the peace'.
'Blaming ICE for the riots for simply doing their job? You're a disgrace,' one X user wrote.
Rioters smash the windshield of a vehicle next to a burning Waymo vehicle during a clash with law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday
Another echoed: 'People choose to commit crimes. DC didn't make them do it. That's the problem with Democrats. You never accept responsibility for your actions.'
'You are trash. This isn't the result of "Washington." This is the result of your failed leadership and failed policies. You have destroyed California!' added another.
'If you're not here to play political games, why the bit about "protests provoked by chaos from Washington"? Sounds like you're playing political games,' one said.
Others urged Newsom to 'resign immediately', with some even going as far as calling for his arrest.
'Says he's not here to play political games, plays political games,' on X user wrote. 'Gavin you should be in jail.'
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the National Guard and condemned protesters who became violent.
'I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily,' she told a press conference Sunday.
Trump has demanded that both Newsom andBass apologize for the riots, insisting that those involved were not 'peaceful protesters' as the duo had claimed.
Newsom said he requested the Trump administration to withdraw its order to deploy 2,000 troops in Los Angeles County, calling it unlawful.
He said in an interview with MSNBC that Trump 'has created the conditions' around the protests and accused the president of trying to manufacture a crisis and of violating California's state sovereignty.
He called Trump's order 'serious breach of state sovereignty' and demanded the president to rescind the order and 'return control to California'.
He urged protesters to stay peaceful and warned that those who instigate violence will be arrested, saying on social media: 'Don't take Trump's bait.'
Newsom also accused Trump of 'putting fuel on this fire' and vowed to to sue his administration over the deployment.
'Commandeering a state's National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral,' he said on X. 'California will be taking him to court.'
Asked if the National Guard was needed, City Police Chief Jim McDonnell said police would not 'go to that right away,' but added, 'Looking at the violence tonight, I think we've got to make a reassessment'.
In a social media post, Trump called on McDonnell to do so.
'He should, right now!!!' Trump added. 'Don't let these thugs get away with this. Make America great again!!!'
The White House disputed Newsom's characterization, saying in a statement, 'Everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness.'
Earlier on Sunday, about a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed.
The US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS program 'Face the Nation' that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement.
Police declared all of downtown Los Angeles to be an unlawful assembly area Sunday night and ordered protesters to go home after a third day of violence.
The unrest in Los Angeles has become a major flashpoint in Trump's signature effort to clamp down on illegal immigration. He calls the protesters insurrectionists.
The president has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the border enforcement agency ICE a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
Several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening.
Los Angeles police said some protesters had thrown concrete projectiles, bottles and other items at police.
Police declared several rallies to be unlawful assemblies and later extended that to include the whole downtown area.
Officers on horseback tried to control the crowds, but demonstrators shouted 'shame on you!' and appeared to throw objects at the officers, footage showed.
One group even blocked the 101 Freeway, a major downtown thoroughfare.
McDonnell said Sunday evening that people had a right to protest peacefully but the violence he had seen by some was 'disgusting' and the protests were getting out of control.
Police said they had arrested 10 people on Sunday and 29 the previous night, adding arrests were continuing.
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump called the demonstrators 'violent, insurrectionist mobs' and said he was directing his cabinet officers 'to take all such action necessary' to stop what he called riots.
Despite Trump's language, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events like civil disorder.
Asked on Sunday whether he was considering doing so, he said, 'It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection.'