Newsom slams “reckless” JD Vance after celebratory Marines artillery shell explodes over highway

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for an apology from the Trump administration after a shell fired during a Marine Corps celebration prematurely detonated over a California highway over the weekend.

On Saturday, a 155-millimeter artillery shell was fired as part of a live-fire demonstration during a celebration at Camp Pendleton, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps. Fragments of the shell peppered a California Highway Patrol vehicle and motorcycle on a closed section of Interstate 5 that were part of Vice President JD Vance’s security detail. No injuries were reported, per the California Highway Patrol.    

Newsom previously criticized President Donald Trump for the decision to fire live shells over I-5, calling it “dangerous” and announcing a closure of the highway in a statement released on Saturday.

“The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the statement read. “Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”     

The same day, the Trump administration said in a post on X that Newsom was “lying” about the need to close the highway, claiming that there were “no public safety concerns,” per the Marines.

Following the incident, the governor’s press office accused the Trump administration on X of having “misled” the public about live artillery being fired over I-5.

“Then you accused the Governor of overreacting when he closed a portion of the freeway to protect the public,” the post read in part. “Without a doubt an apology is owed — to not just Californians, but all Americans.” 

Newsom echoed the sentiment in a statement to the New York Times.

“We love our Marines and owe a debt of gratitude to Camp Pendleton,” he said, “but next time, the vice president and the White House shouldn’t be so reckless with people’s lives for their vanity projects.”  

Lt. Col. Lindsay Pirek, a spokeswoman for the Camp Pendleton First Marine Expeditionary Force told The Times that an investigation was underway. “We are committed to determining the incident’s root cause and applying findings to future missions,” Pirek said. 

The White House has not commented on the incident.