- California governor’s selfie video at the border draws criticism from Republicans
- Newsom announces increase in number of National Guard members working to prevent the flow of drugs into the US, to nearly 400
California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is under attack online after posting a selfie video at the southern border calling for more resources. He accused Republicans of standing in the way, but some shot back that the governor had to deal with the issue.
The video shows Newsom wearing aviator sunglasses and a shirt at the border in Southern California, near Tijuana, with the fence extended behind him.
“This is the San Ysidro port of entry, not that far away, the largest in the Western Hemisphere,” Newsom said in the video. “We just met with the National Guard here, with Customs agents, with Border Patrol, to talk about our partnerships.”
Newsom said there are 390 National Guard members in California targeting fentanyl.
“Look, at the end of the day, they need more resources,” Newsom said.
California’s Democratic governor posted a selfie video at the southern border on Thursday
“Everyone needs more resources and the Republican Party has consistently stood in the way of providing the resources to support the men and women who are working hard, not just at the border, but across the state of California and in this country to tackle the problems associated with it. to the border,” Newsom continued.
On Thursday, Newsom’s office announced that California would double its deployment of National Guard troops to crack down on fentanyl trafficking.
It said nearly 400 troops are deployed across the country and at ports along the border to prevent illegal drugs from entering the country.
That is more than the 155 full-time soldiers deployed as part of the Counterdrug Task Force.
“California has doubled our National Guard at the border, working to stem the flow of fentanyl,” Newsom wrote in his post on X accompanying the video.
“While the Republican Party is playing games and Mike Johnson is looking for his backbone, we’re out here doing the work,” he continued.
It led to an avalanche of criticism online from Republicans and Newsom critics.
California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher fired back at X.
“Thousands of Californians have been poisoned by fentanyl flowing across the border – now that we’re five months away from an election, @GavinNewsom finally decides to take action,” he wrote.
“How many lives would have been saved if he had done this years ago, instead of waiting until it was politically convenient?”
His message was retweeted by other Republican members of the Assembly. California Republicans accused the state’s Democratic leader and close ally of President Biden of being “too slow to add state resources.”
But the governor’s office fired back at Gallagher on X.
“Assembly Member, it appears you have missed these previous announcements and efforts… which the Governor has spoken about extensively,” it wrote.
“Happy to add you to our distribution list,” the message continued.
In February, a bipartisan group of lawmakers negotiated a $20 billion border and immigration deal that would have provided money to improve border security and immigration services.
However, Republicans torpedoed the deal almost immediately after it was announced when former President Trump rejected the compromise legislation.