Newsom Backs Away From 'State‑Sponsored Terrorism' ICE Label as Trump White House Attacks His Shift
California Gov. Gavin Newsom walked back his earlier characterization of Minnesota ICE operations as "state‑sponsored terrorism," telling Ben Shapiro that "our ICE officers obviously are not terrorists" and acknowledging his rhetoric made politics worse. The White House blasted the reversal — spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called Newsom an "inauthentic slimeball" who smeared ICE and then threw staff under the bus, accused his language of risking incitement and said he "will never be ready for primetime."
📌 Key Facts
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom backed away from labeling ICE as 'state‑sponsored terrorism.'
- In a verbatim exchange published by Fox News, Newsom told Ben Shapiro that 'our ICE officers obviously are not terrorists' and said it was 'fair' to say his prior rhetoric made politics worse.
- The Trump White House attacked Newsom’s reversal, explicitly framing his earlier 'state‑sponsored terrorism' rhetoric as having incited violence against ICE.
- White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called Newsom an 'inauthentic slimeball' and 'Newscum,' accusing him of smearing ICE officers and then 'throwing staff under the bus' when pressed.
- The White House also said Newsom 'will never be ready for primetime' in criticizing his conduct and rhetoric.
📊 Relevant Data
Latinos accounted for nine out of ten Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests during the first six months of 2025.
UCLA Report Finds Latino Arrests by ICE Have Skyrocketed Under the Trump Administration’s Second Term — UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
In key federal districts, court records show a 26% increase in cases of assault on federal officers from January 21 to November 21, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024 (163 cases vs. 129).
Attacks on ICE up 1,000%? Court records show few serious injuries — Los Angeles Times
As of November 30, 2025, 73.6% of individuals held in ICE detention (48,377 out of 65,735) had no criminal conviction.
Tracreports — Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse
In 2025, at least 5 of the 32 deaths in ICE custody involved Asian nationals, while undocumented Asian immigrants comprise approximately 16% of the overall undocumented population.
Contributor: Deaths of Asian immigrants in ICE custody reveal a community under threat — Los Angeles Times
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called Newsom an 'inauthentic slimeball' and 'Newscum,' accusing him of smearing ICE officers and then throwing staff under the bus when pressed.
- The White House explicitly framed Newsom’s earlier 'state-sponsored terrorism' rhetoric as inciting violence against ICE and said he 'will never be ready for primetime.'
- Fox article provides additional, verbatim exchange between Ben Shapiro and Newsom in which Newsom concedes 'our ICE officers obviously are not terrorists' and agrees it’s 'fair' that the prior rhetoric made politics worse.