“The president is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” Democratic governor Newsom said in a statement. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong – it’s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength – it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds.”
Saturday’s military event coincided with No Kings rallies and marches held across the US, including several locations in California, aligning behind a message that the nation’s slide into authoritarian rule under Trump needs to stop.