Homeland Security Secretary Krist Noem has been mercilessly mocked by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for claiming that Los Angeles “wouldn’t be standing today” had President Donald Trump not sent in the National Guard.
Noem appeared on CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday and was asked by host Ed O’Keefe, the network’s senior White House correspondent, whether we should expect to see similar scenes in Chicago, which Trump has threatened to target next.
“Part of what distinguished the Los Angeles operations, however, is that National Guard troops were there, in essence, protecting or backing up those federal agents as they conducted operations,” O’Keefe asked the secretary. “Is that what we should expect to see in Chicago?”
Noem said she wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the plans for the Illinois city but claimed, “I do know that LA wouldn’t be standing today if President Trump hadn’t taken action.”
Newsom’s official press office account on X had a simple response.
“Hahahahahhahahahahahahahaha,” the account said, along with a clip of the interview.
Newsom sued the federal government after it deployed troops to LA in June following protests against the administration’s anti-immigration operation.
“That city would’ve burned down if left to the devices of the mayor and the governor of that state,” Noem continued. “And so the citizens who live there, the small business owners in downtown LA, they’re thankful that president Trump came in with federal law enforcement officers.”
O’Keefe then stopped Noem and said he wanted to clarify her claim. “You said LA wouldn’t be standing if not for these federal deployments?” he asked Noem.
“So many of those homes and businesses that were in downtown LA and in those areas were dealing with riots and violence,” Noem said, doubling down. “Coming in and bringing those federal law enforcement officers in was incredibly important to keeping peace.”
Newsom has been baiting Trump and his MAGA base in recent weeks by imitating the president’s unique style on social media.
The governor has been posting in all caps, sharing outrageous AI memes of himself and using Trump’s signature catchphrase: “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
“I’m just following [Trump’s] example,” Newsom told reporters last week when asked about his posting strategy. “If you have issues with what I’m putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he’s putting out as president.”
Noem’s comments about LA come as the Trump administration looks to deploy the military to Chicago, having already sent the National Guard to Washington, D.C.
Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson laid out plans Saturday detailing how his administration would respond to any attempts by Trump to move into the city.
“We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks before our city sees some type of militarized activity by the federal government,” Johnson warned Saturday. “It is unclear at this time what that will look like. We must take immediate, drastic action to protect our people from federal overreach.”
“We may see militarized immigration enforcement. We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active duty military and armed vehicles in our streets,” the mayor said.
