The White House declined to comment on the incident and referred questions to the Los Angeles Police Department, which said it would issue a statement later on Monday. Nine owns this masthead.
Later, when asked what crime Newsom had committed to warrant his arrest, Trump said the California governor had the “wrong philosophy”.
Nine News US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was shot by police with a rubber bullet while covering the protest.Credit: Nine News
“I think his primary crime is running for governor because he’s done such a bad job,” Trump said. “What he’s done to that state is like what Biden did to this country.”
As protesters clashed with police and set fire to driverless Waymo cars in downtown Los Angeles, the political firestorm raged over Trump’s decision to usurp Newsom’s authority and deploy the California National Guard.
Newsom and Democratic allies argued the decision inflamed tensions and turned what was a relatively small, controllable protest into violent riots in which dozens were arrested over the weekend. He also said Trump’s deployment of the National Guard was illegal, and vowed to file a federal lawsuit.
Responding to Trump’s call for him to be arrested, Newsom said it crossed a line that he hoped would never be crossed in the US.
“This is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” he said.
Union members protested in Washington DC calling for the release of union leader David Huerta, who was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday.Credit: Michael Koziol
Trump, meanwhile, continued to defend his decision to deploy the National Guard, whose duties were largely limited to protecting federal government buildings.
In a social media post, he said Los Angeles would otherwise have been “completely obliterated” and that Bass and Newsom – whom he again called Newscum – should be thanking him.
Protests also spread north to San Francisco, where about 60 people were arrested on Sunday night, local time, including some children. The SAPD said buildings and a police car were vandalised, while two officers suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Lisa Blyth, left, attended a protest in Washington, DC, calling for the release of union leader David Huerta, who was arrested in Los Angeles.Credit: Michael Koziol
In Los Angeles and other cities on Monday morning, union members marched to demand the release of David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union in California.
Huerta was arrested on Friday as part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that prompted the protests. He was hurt in the arrest and taken briefly to a local hospital.
In Washington, a group of about 300 marched past the Department of Justice and FBI headquarters, chanting: “Free David now.” People carried banners that said: “Tyranny or revolution” or “Is the Constitution dead yet?” and “They blame immigrations so you won’t blame billionaires”.
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Lisa Blyth, a 47-year-old from Fairfax in the neighbouring state of Virginia, held a sign saying: “We are all LA.”
“I’m afraid for my country,” she said. “Not so much because of the violence – because I feel like that kind of was inevitable – but I’m afraid of it not taking a turn for the better.”
“My hope is that if enough people can take a stand and not be afraid – be willing to face things like the tear gas and police – that hopefully we can make a change for the better and defeat this administration.”
Blyth said she was upset after seeing the video of Tomasi being shot with a rubber bullet by police. “It’s unconscionable that they’re doing it at all, but certainly against the press is an even greater escalation.”
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