Trump’s Threats Against Musk and Newsom Reflect an Authoritarian Intolerance of Dissent
On Monday, President Donald Trump endorsed the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who irked him by criticizing his militarized response to Los Angeles protests against his administration’s immigration raids. Just four days earlier, Trump had suggested that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, his former ally, could lose his government contracts for going public with concerns about the president’s fiscal recklessness.
It’s not clear whether Trump was serious in either case, whether he intends to follow through on his threats, or exactly how that would work. But the authoritarian intolerance of dissent reflected in those comments is consistent with the various ways Trump already has used the powers of his office to punish people whose views offend him.
Over the weekend, Trump deployed 2,000 members of California’s National Guard to protect federal personnel and property, invoking a law that authorizes such action when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” against the U.S. government’s authority. That unilateral step, Newsom argued, was unnecessary, provocative, and illegal because local and state law enforcement agencies were willing and able to maintain order without federal intervention.
This was the context in which a reporter asked Trump whether Newsom should be arrested, noting that border czar Tom Homan had threatened that consequence for “anybody,” including Newsom, who interferes with the immigration crackdown. “I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump replied. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
Maybe Trump was joking. Maybe he also was joking when he argued, during the public flap that Musk provoked by slamming a Trump-backed bill as a “disgusting abomination” that would add trillio
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