SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on February 01, 2023 in Sacramento, California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Attorney General Rob Bonta, state Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) and other state leaders announced SB2 - a new gun safety legislation that would establish stricter standards for Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permits to carry a firearm in public. The bill designates "sensitive areas," like bars, amusement parks and child daycare centers where guns would not be allowed. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Sacramento, California – In a sharp escalation of the conflict between California officials and the Trump administration, Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday accused the Department of Defense of spreading disinformation by posting misleading videos of recent protests in Los Angeles.
At the center of the controversy is a video shared by the DOD Rapid Response account on X, formerly Twitter, which shows burning LAPD vehicles and claims to depict the current wave of protests against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles. However, fact-checkers at Snopes determined that the footage was not recent, but from May 2020, during the George Floyd protests. The LAPD vehicles—marked with roof numbers 504 and 658—match those seen in NBC News footage from five years ago.
Newsom’s office responded forcefully: “This isn’t just disinformation. It’s a propaganda campaign from the Pentagon,” the governor’s press team wrote on X. They further accused the Department of Defense of using outdated footage to justify what Newsom calls the “illegal militarization” of the city, after President Trump authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines without the governor’s consent.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed the criticism, taking aim at Newsom’s handling of public unrest: “Gavin Newsom has let L.A. burn to the ground on so many occasions, it’s hard to distinguish between all the lawlessness, violence, and chaos throughout the last few years.”
Tensions in California—and across the country—have continued to build following a June 6 ICE sweep that triggered widespread protests. While many of the demonstrations began peacefully, clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators have intensified. Protesters have reportedly set self-driving vehicles on fire and thrown concrete and fireworks at officers. Several businesses in downtown Los Angeles were vandalized, according to KTLA.
Adding fuel to the fire, Snopes also identified multiple viral videos falsely attributed to the current unrest. One, showing a Jeep engulfed in flames, was actually filmed in March 2024. Another video, widely circulated with claims of rioters attacking a shop owner in Los Angeles, was traced back to an incident in Anaheim last October.
As Trump prepares for a military parade in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army—and coinciding with his 79th birthday—anti-Trump protests are expected to sweep the country. The “No Kings” movement has planned more than 1,800 demonstrations nationwide.
Trump warned protesters on social media that those who gather in D.C. “will be met with very heavy force.” With old footage resurfacing, violence on the streets, and the military on standby, this moment offers a stark reminder that information warfare is increasingly playing out alongside the unrest itself.
