Newsom retreats after Shapiro puts him on the spot over chilling ICE terrorism claim

17 Jan 2026 By foxnews

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is retreating from inflammatory remarks about federal immigration agents after his press office labeled an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-involved shooting "state-sponsored terrorism."

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said the shift was political rather than policy-driven, arguing Newsom is moderating his image as he eyes a 2028 presidential bid. Shapiro directly challenged the governor about the post during an appearance on Newsom's podcast, "This Is Gavin Newsom."

"Your press office tweeted out that it was 'state-sponsored terrorism.' Which, I mean governor, I have to ask you about that. That sort of thing makes our politics worse," Shapiro said, referring to a post uploaded in response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.

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"And our ICE officers obviously are not terrorists. A tragic situation is not state-sponsored terrorism," added Shapiro.

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"Yeah, I think that's fair," Newsom replied, distancing himself from his press office's language.

Newsom has been widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender, though he has not announced a run. Shapiro said a key challenge for the governor will be appealing to both far-left activists and more moderate voters within his party.

"One of the circles that the governor has to square is that the Democratic base is very, very radical," Shapiro said Friday on "America's Newsroom."

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"He understands that if he wants to run successfully for president in 2028, then he's going to need to moderate pretty significantly."

In the episode, Newsom rejected calls from Democrats to abolish ICE, saying he disagrees with the idea. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been rumored to consider a 2028 presidential run, has previously argued the agency should not exist.

"His press office sort of tweets out to his base, and then he ignores that or denounces his own press office if it means that he can sort of moderate positionally," Shapiro added.

He predicted Democrats will ultimately abandon calls to abolish ICE, comparing the push to the party's earlier support for defunding the police.

"I think they already did this experiment with regards to abolishing the police, and it didn't work out particularly well for them," said Shapiro.

The Minneapolis shooting has reignited debate over federal immigration enforcement, with ICE's actions facing intense scrutiny. Activists have cited Good's death as justification for ongoing demonstrations and confrontations with law enforcement in Minneapolis.