Newsom Mocks Trump: Courts, Not The President, Forced National Guard Pullback

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday mocked President Donald Trump’s claim that he voluntarily withdrew National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, saying the pullback was compelled by court rulings.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Guard would be pulled out "despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities," and added that the troops could "come back…when crime begins to soar again," blaming Democratic mayors and governors as "incompetent."

Newsom’s press office swiftly pushed back on social media: "We won in court and forced him to." The office likened Trump’s post to the political version of "you can’t fire me, I quit." Newsom himself wrote, "About time @realDonaldTrump admitted defeat. We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal."

"The President deployed these brave men and women against their own communities and without regard for the Constitution and federal law. We welcome our California National Guard service members back to state service, where they can continue to serve and protect the people of California — long delayed due to Trump’s political theater.

I direct California National Guard leadership to work expeditiously to return state service members home to be with their families as soon as possible following their demobilization from federal service."

Legal Rulings That Prompted The Pullback

Multiple legal challenges targeted the administration’s decision to federalize state Guard units. Earlier this month the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6–3 decision, found the president had not demonstrated the "exceptional" circumstances required to federalize troops deployed to Chicago. In December, a federal judge in the Northern District of California ruled that the president’s control of California’s National Guard was "contrary to law."

An appeals court temporarily stayed part of that December order that would have returned command to the governor immediately, but the Trump administration later withdrew a motion for a stay pending appeal. That withdrawal allowed the Ninth Circuit to let the December ruling take effect and restore state control of the Guard.

Reactions And Broader Implications

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the development a "major litigation victory," saying it demonstrates that democratic institutions and the rule of law can check executive action. Newsom directed state Guard leadership to expedite the return of servicemembers to state duty so they can rejoin their families and local missions.

The dispute highlights a broader constitutional debate over the limits of presidential authority to federalize state military forces and underscores how courts can constrain executive decisions during politically fraught deployments.