Newsom clashes with White House over Marine Corps celebration highway closure

The 250th anniversary celebration of the U.S. Marine Corps at San Diego County’s Camp Pendleton Saturday sparked a heated social media exchange between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the White House.

The event, America’s Marines 250: From Sea to Shore: A Review of Amphibious Strength, featured a range of festivities at the Marine Corps base, including a large-scale live-fire demonstration attended by Vice President JD Vance.

Newsom blasted the display of military power as “dangerous” and “an absurd show of force,” announcing Saturday that a section of Interstate 5 near the base would be temporarily closed during the celebration.

“Because of the Trump Admin’s plans, drivers should expect delays on Interstate 5 and other state routes throughout Southern California before, during and after the event,” Newsom posted to X.

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The Democrat doubled down later in the day, accusing the White House of denying earlier in the week that any freeway closures would be needed despite the use of live munitions.

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However, the White House quickly fired back, accusing Newsom of distorting the facts.

“Newscum is lying,” the White House’s Rapid Response account posted to X. “He closed the highway — not only did nobody at the White House or the Marines ask him to do so, the Marines repeatedly said there are no public safety concerns with today’s exercises. Newscum lies and tries to make it about himself? Day ending in ‘y.'”

The White House account also reposted an X post from Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz, who wrote, “Gavin Newscum is shutting down a major CA highway just because JD Vance is in the state. Inconveniencing tens of thousands of Americans. What a petty little man.”

Newsom then rebutted, “The [California Highway Patrol] and highway safety experts are saying what any person with common sense knows: It is not safe for people to drive on a major freeway at high speeds directly under LIVE MUNITIONS.

“White House not communicating, endangering the public, and then trying to blame the Governor for doing the right thing — keeping people out of harm’s way — yet another day living in Trump’s authoritarian America.”

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The exchange followed days of tension between Newsom and the Trump administration over the Camp Pendleton event. 

Earlier in the week, the California governor called the anniversary celebration a “vanity parade.”

“Donald Trump and JD Vance think that shutting down the I-5 to shoot out missiles from ships is how you respect the military,” Newsom posted to X Wednesday, while reposting an X post from left-leaning outlet MeidasTouch that claimed the White House planned to close parts of the I-5 during the event. “PUT ASIDE YOUR VANITY PARADE AND PAY OUR TROOPS INSTEAD.”

However, William Martin, special assistant to the president and communications director to the vice president, quickly pushed back against Newsom.

“This is complete fake news,” Martin declared in a post on X, which was reposted by the @VP X account. “The Marine Corps said they are NOT shutting down the I-5 highway and that the event at Camp Pendleton is a training exercise. Also, President Trump IS paying the troops despite Chuck Schumer’s efforts to hold their salaries hostage.”

A Marine Corps press release Wednesday about the festivities said that “no public highways or transportation routes will be closed.”

Extensive safety measures were implemented at the celebration, which was expected to draw more than 15,000 attendees, including detailed risk assessments, emergency crews on site and fully scripted air, surface and ground movements, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported earlier in the week, citing event organizers.

Newsom and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.