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Newsom Faces Backlash After Clashing With White House Over Marine Corps Event

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2 months ago

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California Governor Gavin Newsom is catching major heat after butting heads with the White House and Marine Corps officials over a planned live-fire artillery event marking the Marines’ 250th anniversary at Camp Pendleton. The fight — centered on a temporary shutdown of Interstate 5 near Oceanside — has erupted into a full-blown political battle that’s now spilling across social media.

The controversy began when military planners scheduled a ceremonial artillery demonstration for Saturday at Camp Pendleton’s Red Beach training area. The event, attended by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, involved live rounds projected over a designated section of I-5—prompting California officials to temporarily close the major freeway from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Governor Newsom blasted the move on X, calling it a “profoundly absurd show of force that could put Californians directly in harm’s way.” He accused federal officials of failing to coordinate with state and local authorities and condemned the optics of “flying live rounds over a busy highway.”

The post, which included a screenshot of a New York Times headline reading “Military Plans to Fire Artillery Over California Freeway on Saturday,” quickly went viral, drawing more than half a million views and reigniting long-standing tensions between Newsom and Washington.

However, the White House denied that the live-fire exercise would pose any risk to the public.  But Newsom’s office doubled down, posting that “California traffic and public safety experts have recommended temporarily closing the freeway to best protect the public,” and accusing the White House of “lack of transparency.”

The post added fuel to the fire by noting that “the White House is now being fact-checked by Grok, the latest Pentagon-approved AI tool.” That mention of Grok—a defense-linked AI system that publicly clarified the situation—only intensified the feud. Grok stated that firing over I-5 “isn’t routine for Camp Pendleton” but explained that this setup was “specific to the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary demonstration,” coordinated meticulously “to minimize risks, despite the optics.”

Newsom’s handling of the incident drew immediate criticism from conservatives and veterans’ groups who accused him of turning a military celebration into a political stunt.

Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz slammed the governor, posting, “Gavin Newscum is shutting down a major CA highway just because JD Vance is in the state. Inconveniencing tens of thousands of Americans. What a petty little man.”

Rapid Response 47 accused Newsom of lying outright: “He closed the highway — not only did nobody at the White House or the Marines ask him to do so, the Marines repeatedly said there are no public safety concerns. Newsom lies and tries to make it about himself? Day ending in ‘y.’”

Screenshots shared online showed that Marine officials had publicly stated all events would occur “on approved training ranges,” directly contradicting Newsom’s warning.

The temporary freeway closure caused significant traffic snarls across Southern California, further fueling anger among commuters and local businesses. The Marine Corps has confirmed that the artillery demonstration went forward after the temporary closure and that no injuries or incidents occurred. However, the political fallout continues to grow, with both sides accusing the other of misinformation and bad faith.

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