Confident Gavin Newsom says ‘tough on crime’ Donald Trump needs to look in his own backyard to make a difference

President Donald Trump has threatened to send the National Guard into blue cities like New York, Chicago, and L.A. to combat what Trump says is out-of-control crime. But California Governor turned full-time Trump troll Gavin Newsom says if the president is serious about cracking down on murder, he should focus on Louisiana instead.

There’s only one problem, though, according to Newsom: Louisiana, and Shreveport specifically, is House Speaker and MAGA ally Mike Johnson‘s district. “Just look at the murder rate,” that’s nearly four times higher in Louisiana than in California, Newsom said in a video shared online, flanked by law enforcement officers and banked by the American flag and the flag of California. Newsom has previously said Shreveport, where Johnson was born, has a per capita murder rate six times that of San Francisco.

And because Trump continues to zero in on blue cities and states, Newsom suggests, rather than red state high-crime areas, it means the president is not serious about combating crime, but rather engaging in politically motivated theatrics to, at best, threaten Democrats. At worst, some critics allege Trump is paving the way to build his own private army.

Is Newsom right?

Newsom’s claim about Shreveport homicide rates has been disputed by local officials, who say murders have declined in the city. Meanwhile, Newsom’s focus is on homicide rates, which generally support his point, but critics note California ranks higher in robbery and overall violent crime than many red states.

Still, Newsom’s video ruffled feathers on the right. Speaker Johnson himself told Fox News, “He needs to go and govern his state and not be engaging in this,” referring to Newsom, who seems to be positioning himself for a White House run in 2028.

Tennessee news outlet The Tennessee Holler shared on X, “TLDW: He has nothing when confronted with the facts,” of Johnson’s response.

The red state/blue mayor argument

After Johnson’s Fox News appearance, Newsom again shared the statistic that Louisiana’s murder rate is nearly four times that of California.

Meanwhile, some critics have responded to Newsom, Louisiana leans red, but Shreveport, in particular, votes Democrat. As one comment pointed out, “The issue is that in a lot of red states you have Democrat city mayors so for Republican governors to reduce crime there would require them to override the will of disproportionally black local communities, which I’m okay with.”

But, another comment noted, “Laws against violent crime are made at a STATE level by state legislators. Not a municipal level. Maybe they need to override themselves.”

Otherwise, Newsom’s point that high crime rates are not limited to blue cities and states was echoed elsewhere. As another comment said, “Higher in a lot of places,” referring to crime rates. “ever visited Memphis or Little Rock at night… word to wise… Don’t,” the comment added.

The comment continued, “St Louis, New Orleans? Even Florida – Miami will leave you naked on the sidewalk if you walk alone there. Red state cities are not paragons of safety for anyone. They suck at crime prevention.”