California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is facing criticism on social media over an exchange about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The governor — who has been floated as a top contender among Democrats for president in 2028 — was pressed on his podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro over language his team used to describe the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minnesota earlier this month.
“STATE. SPONSORED. TERRORISM,” Newsom’s official press office account posted on X in the aftermath of the incident.
During an episode of the podcast released Thursday, Shapiro confronted Newsom about the comment from his office while claiming “that sort of thing makes our politics worse.”
Newsom responded in agreement as Shapiro said that ICE officers are “obviously not terrorists” and the situation is not “state-sponsored terrorism.”
“Yeah, I think that’s fair,” Newsom replied.
Newsom went on to say that California has “probably” cooperated with ICE more than any other state — later adding that he doesn’t believe the agency should not be abolished.
“We have over 10,000 that I’ve cooperated with since I’ve been governor of California,” Newsom said. “We work very directly with ICE as it relates to the [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation].”
The Daily Wire, which was co-founded by Shapiro, posted a video of the exchange on X, writing that Newsom “WALKS BACK calling ICE operations “state-sponsored terrorism.” The exchange prompted immediate backlash from Democrats.
“This man cannot be our 2028 candidate,” Internet personality Matt Bernstein wrote in response.
Political commentator Adam Cochran advised Newsom’s communications director to “please talk some sense” into the governor.
“We all know he wants a presidential run,” Cochran said. “Being afraid to say hard things, and flip flopping on this moment won’t get him there. There is no reason to not rise to this moment.”
Progressive journalist Mehdi Hasan added: “Not sure why Newsom is trying to wreck his otherwise very strong chance of winning the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination by doing this self destructive podcast where he allows rightwing guests to walk all over him and then promote clips online of them walking all over him.”
Liberal pundit Krystal Ball posted that “This is pathetic but unsurprising from Gavin.”
“ICE’s deployments are the definition of state-sponsored terrorism,” she continued. “They are literally intended to terrorize communities Trump wants to punish.”
A different user said in a post, “Remember this when Newsom asks for your vote and Democrats say you have to give it to him.”
Minnesota and the Twin Cities sued the Trump administration earlier this week in an effort to try to stop an immigration enforcement surge as protests rock the region. A man was separately shot and wounded this week by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle, according to officials.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allows the president to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement.
The president warned whom he characterized as the “corrupt politicians of Minnesota” to obey the law and “stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.”
