A Military Celebration Sparks Another Newsom-Trump Feud

The U.S. Marines said on Wednesday that its large military celebration planned this weekend at Camp Pendleton in Southern California would not close any public highway or transportation route, hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California raised fears of missiles soaring over Interstate 5.

The Marine Corps said in a statement that it would conduct “live-fire” activities, but that its event would take place at a beach west of the freeway. Earlier in the day, Mr. Newsom had raised alarms about the ceremony, and bemoaned what he described as the administration’s lack of planning with local authorities.

The episode was the latest example of how communications have broken down between Mr. Newsom and the Trump administration over all manner of activities, including the ceremony to honor the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps.

Camp Pendleton, near the city of Oceanside between San Diego and Los Angeles, is the Marine Corps’ largest training facility on the West Coast. It includes a portion of undeveloped coastline and sits close to Interstate 5, a heavily traveled corridor.

The White House previously announced that the Saturday event would feature “amphibious assault demonstrations” and that Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were scheduled to attend. But Mr. Newsom’s office said that three days before the celebration, California officials still had not received detailed information about the planned activities.

Mr. Newsom’s office raised alarms. His spokesman, Izzy Gardon, said that it had learned the military planned to use ordnance as part of the ceremony, possibly launching it from the sea, over Interstate 5 and onto some part of the base’s 125,000 acres.