California Governor Gavin Newsom accused US President Donald Trump of treating National Guard troops with “disrespect” after viral images showed them sleeping on the floor in cramped conditions following their deployment to Los Angeles amid intensifying immigration protests. The dispute has escalated into a legal battle, with Newsom’s office filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over what it calls an illegal and politically motivated deployment.
“You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep,” Newsom posted on X, sharing photos of guardsmen lying shoulder-to-shoulder on the ground. “This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego. This is reckless. Pointless. And disrespectful to our troops.”
The governor claimed Trump’s administration dispatched over 2,000 National Guard troops without basic supplies, adding that only 300 had received active orders, while the rest were left idle in federal buildings. “This is how Donald Trump treats his troops. Disgraceful,” Newsom wrote in another post.
This is how Donald Trump treats his troops.
Disgraceful.
“The troops — whose makeshift quarters are shown in photographs exclusively obtained by the Chronicle — arrived without federal funding for food, water, fuel, equipment or lodging, said the source, who was granted… pic.twitter.com/XCtg4FjSnT
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025
In response, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell accused Newsom of “using the troops as political props,” stating that soldiers “have ready access to food and water” and that due to the “fluid security situation,” they were temporarily housed in less-than-ideal facilities.
“Also, when you’re a soldier you’re prepared to sleep in worse places than this,” Parnell added on X.
Meanwhile, Trump authorised the deployment of an additional 2,000 troops, bringing the total number of Guard personnel under federal orders in Los Angeles to more than 4,100. The move follows the earlier deployment of 700 US Marines to support local authorities. The Pentagon has estimated the cost of the operation at $134 million.
Newsom’s lawsuit argues that the president’s use of emergency powers in this instance exceeds his constitutional authority, alleging that Trump exploited a manageable protest situation for political gain. “On Saturday, June 7, he used a protest that local authorities had under control to make another unprecedented power grab,” the suit states.
