California Plans Lawsuit Over Trump National Guard Deployment to San Francisco

California Governor Gavin Newsom, alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state officials, has declared their intent to sue President Donald Trump if he proceeds with deploying the National Guard to San Francisco, calling such action illegal and an abuse of presidential power. Newsom criticized Trump's narrative portraying California as lawless, emphasizing declining crime rates in the state, including a 22% drop in violent crime in San Francisco. Local officials including San Francisco's mayor and district attorney oppose the deployment, with legal experts noting federal law prohibits National Guard troops from acting as city police. Trump has threatened military intervention in San Francisco, framing it as a response to the city's perceived decline and labeling it "a mess." State leaders view this as authoritarian overreach violating state sovereignty and constitutional governance, pledging to defend their values through legal challenges. The conflict continues to escalate amid broader tensions over federal intervention in liberal cities.