'State of rebellion': Expert weighs in on Newsom challenge to Trump deploying National Guard

Trump said in a proclamation that mobilizing the National Guard troops was necessary to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, who he said were being hindered from arresting illegal immigrants.

"The President invoked 10 U.S.C. 12406, which affords him the authority to federalize the National Guard in response to a state of rebellion within the United States," Moss said.

The National Guard is a military force based in each state and under the dual control of governors and presidents. Governors typically have authority over their respective National Guard units, but presidents can call them into federal service in certain situations.

Moss noted that Trump left his National Guard proclamation "sufficiently vague and nondescript," including by not mentioning California or Los Angeles County in it.

Trump said he was moving 2,000 National Guard soldiers under his purview and delegating the remaining logistics to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

While presidents have looked to the National Guard as a reinforcement to protect federal personnel and property before, Trump's move was unusual because it lacked the support of the governor.

Newsom took matters a step further, blaming Trump for exacerbating riots. The Democratic governor said local and state police had conditions under control but that they worsened because Trump called in the military.

"He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard. The order he signed doesn't just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing," Newsom wrote on social media.