Gavin Newsom rips Trump over bonkers military plan

It looks like somebody has finally said what millions of Americans think every day.

The U.S. Marines released a statement in the middle of the night on Wednesday, stating that an Expedition Force would be performing a “live-fire Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Red Beach, Camp Pendleton” to mark the Marines’ 250^th anniversary on November 9, just three weeks from now.

The demonstration, aimed to showcase America’s readiness to “defend the Homeland,” apparently went through a “detailed risk assessment”, but the office of the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, came out with a different report.

Newsom’s office claimed the demonstration would involve the firing of live explosive rounds from Navy warships over the I-5, a highway that serves over 80,000 commuters per day, and into Camp Pendleton. The military could reportedly choose to close large swaths of the highway for the demonstration, thus not endangering thousands of lives, but only inconveniencing them for the sake of… glory?

Newsom’s comments

LOS ANGELES CALIF AUGUST 14, 2025 Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Los Angeles to announce an effort to quickly redraw the state’s congressional districts at the Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t mince words on the topic. In fact, he even Tweeted in a language that Trump could understand, stating in all-caps, “PUT ASIDE YOUR VANITY PARADE AND PAY OUR TROOPS INSTEAD”.

Newsom’s office also claimed that it had received little to no information about implemented safety measures or information regarding coordination for the launch. The missile launch, scheduled for November 9, gives California little time to find a solution for the endless list of problems associated with the demonstration.

As one of the few Democrats consistently releasing effective communication opposing the GOP, Newsom focused on the deeper issues the demonstration unearths, namely, the mistreatment of American veterans.

Conflicting statements

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: U.S. Vice President JD Vance takes questions from reporters during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. Vance joined White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to discuss the federal government shutdown, after Congress and the White House failed to reach a funding deal by the October 1 deadline and halted U.S. government services for the first time in nearly seven years. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

California Department of Transportation spokesman Edward Barrera said that, due to “potential scenarios shared with us by the federal government,” his agency is preparing to shut down parts of I-5 between Orange and San Diego counties for the exercise, not wanting live missiles to be fired over the heads of unsuspecting California residents.

Strangely, the vice president doesn’t seem to be concerned about that aspect of the drill, with William Martin, a spokesperson, denying the claim, calling it “fake news.” I suppose the VP doesn’t see an issue with firing live missiles over a busy highway.

Somehow, there is a clear divide between the State of California and the far-right GOP. A senior state transportation official said in an interview with MeidasTouch “Closing down a critical corridor during a shutdown, for a vanity event, without even consulting state authorities? It’s indefensible.”

The State of California seems to be on the same page about this issue: endangering, or even inconveniencing citizens, is not worth the flexing of a few missiles to celebrate.