Gavin Newsom is once again taking aim at Donald Trump, this time urging use of the 25th Amendment after the president made remarks about Iran, Los Angeles, and San Diego during a Nebraska rally. The White House quickly pushed back, saying Trump was talking about the danger a nuclear Iran could have posed to American cities, not calling for harm. The latest clash adds another sharp chapter to the long-running feud between the California governor and the president.
Newsom did not hold back. In statements shared with multiple outlets, he declared, “Donald Trump is mentally ill. TIME FOR THE 25TH!”
His comments followed Trump’s rally speech in Grand Island, where the president talked about the cost of keeping the country safe and then mentioned Los Angeles and San Diego while discussing Iran. Trump said, “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego,” and added, “This is a very small price to pay.”
That line set off a fresh wave of criticism, with Newsom describing the remarks as “deranged and dangerous” in a post on X. The tone was not new, either, since Newsom has been leaning into this fight for months and treating Trump’s comments as proof that the president should be removed from office.
This is not the first time Newsom has floated the 25th Amendment as a political weapon against Trump. Back in July, he said Trump’s election integrity speech was a “legitimate 25th Amendment moment” and dismissed it as “the rambling of a mad king.” That earlier attack drew plenty of backlash from Republicans, who argued Democrats were suddenly discovering concern about mental fitness after spending years brushing aside the same questions about Joe Biden.
The White House was just as blunt in its response this time. Communications director Steven Cheung said the media reaction was a “media freakout” that was “not rooted in reality,” adding that Trump “was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped.”
Cheung also defended the president’s broader message, saying, “America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.” That framing was the administration’s way of flipping the controversy back onto Trump’s critics and arguing that the speech was about deterrence, not recklessness.
The fight is also tied to the mechanics of the 25th Amendment itself, which was ratified in 1967. It allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet, or another body authorized by Congress, to say a president is unable to carry out the duties of the office.
That provision has become a favorite talking point for Trump’s political enemies, especially when the president makes a statement that sparks outrage on cable news and social media. House Democrats have already raised the issue in legislation aimed at examining whether Trump could be removed under the amendment, which only keeps the temperature higher.
Trump’s comments came as he was talking about the costs of the Iran conflict and telling the crowd that Americans were paying a “small price … for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” The mention of California cities was the part that lit the fuse, and it landed in the middle of an already tense relationship between Trump and Newsom.
That feud has stretched through Trump’s second term and shows little sign of cooling off. The two have traded barbs before, crossed paths in public, and turned every major policy flashpoint into another round of political combat. Even the latest exchange left both sides dug in, with Newsom painting Trump as a threat and the White House insisting the president was talking about national security, not attacking American cities.
For now, neither side appears interested in letting it go. The sharp language, the 25th Amendment talk, and the Iran backdrop have all combined into a fight that fits the current political moment perfectly, loud, personal, and ready for the next response.
