While her husband fought to contain escalating civil unrest, California first lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom has drawn criticism for spending Monday picking up skincare products amid the chaos of the Los Angeles riots. The timing of her personal errand has sparked controversy as federal troops moved into the city.
According to the Daily Mail, Newsom's representatives defended her actions, stating she "didn't have a spa treatment yesterday, but she does have a prior skin cancer diagnosis and was picking up skin care products on her personal time." The explanation came after reports suggested she was shopping while civil unrest continued.
The controversy unfolds as Governor Gavin Newsom battles with President Trump over control of the riot response. Both the governor and LA Mayor Karen Bass have demanded Trump withdraw military troops from the streets, insisting local authorities have the situation under control.
President Trump has activated 4,000 National Guard troops and deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles despite strong objections from state and local leaders. The move represents a significant escalation in the federal response to the ongoing unrest.
Governor Newsom has characterized Trump's deployment as illegal and counterproductive, filing a lawsuit Monday challenging the president's authority to activate the Guard without the governor's consent. The deployment marks the first time in decades a president has activated the National Guard without a governor's request.
"This isn't about public safety," Newsom wrote on social media. "It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego." The governor has maintained that the president's characterization of the protests as a violent occupation greatly exaggerates the situation on the ground.
The unrest began Friday when anti-ICE protesters responded to immigration raids across Los Angeles. What started as demonstrations quickly escalated to include property damage, looting, and confrontations with law enforcement.
Protesters have blocked major freeways, thrown objects at officers, and gathered outside a federal detention center chanting "free them all" while waving Mexican and Central American flags. Police have responded with tear gas, pepper balls, and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds.
By Monday evening, Mayor Karen Bass reported that more than 100 people had been arrested, though she emphasized that the majority of protesters were nonviolent. The situation took a darker turn Tuesday morning with the discovery of a body outside one of the looted stores.
Trump's decision to mobilize 700 Marines based in Southern California has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed being "gravely troubled" by the deployment of active-duty military personnel.
"Since our nation's founding, the American people have been perfectly clear: we do not want the military conducting law enforcement on US soil," Reed stated. The use of active military to respond to civil disturbances remains extremely rare in American history.
The protests have spread beyond Los Angeles to neighboring Orange County and at least nine other U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. In Austin, Texas, police used non-lethal munitions and detained several protesters during clashes with demonstrators.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom's decision to run personal errands during the crisis has added another dimension to questions about state leadership during the emergency. Her representatives have pushed back forcefully against any suggestion she was being insensitive to the situation.
The First Lady previously shared her battle with skin cancer in 2023, which her office cited as context for her skincare errand. However, critics have questioned the timing of her personal shopping while Marines were being deployed to Los Angeles streets.
Governor Newsom continues to insist he has the situation under control despite Trump's claims that the city would be "burning to the ground right now" without federal intervention. The president doubled down on this assertion in a Tuesday morning post on his Truth Social platform.
