The culture war between red and blue America took another bizarre turn this week, as Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin called for California Governor Gavin Newsom to face criminal charges for “domestic terrorism”—all because Newsom referred to Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as a “fascist.”
The drama began Friday when Newsom’s official press office posted on X (formerly Twitter): “STEPHEN MILLER IS A FASCIST!” The post didn’t include an explanation, a context, or a follow-up. Just five words, all caps.
That was enough to set off a firestorm. Within hours, prominent MAGA figures accused Newsom of “trying to get Miller killed,” claiming that the label “fascist” was dangerous and incited violence. But Van Orden took it a step further, moving from outrage to legal threats.
“At this point, this reaches the threshold of domestic terrorism,” Van Orden declared. “This is no longer ‘inflammatory’, it is criminal.”
He even cited the 18 U.S. Code § 2331, the federal statute that defines domestic terrorism, and followed it up with a pointed warning: “No one is above the law, @CAgovernor.”
To be clear, the law Van Orden referenced outlines domestic terrorism as acts dangerous to human life that appear intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence government policy through intimidation or coercion. Critics were quick to point out that calling someone a fascist on social media, no matter how incendiary, doesn’t fit that definition.
Still, the accusation wasn’t dismissed quietly.
Former prosecutor Ron Filipkowski drew attention to the Congressman’s comments, posting: “Congressman wants Gavin Newsom arrested for terrorism because he called Stephen Miller a fascist.”
Filipkowski didn’t let the irony slide either, adding: “The hundreds of times Miller called Democrats fascist apparently doesn’t count for anything.”
Miller has long been a lightning rod in political discourse, particularly for his role in shaping the president’s hardline immigration policies. Critics of Miller often cite what they see as overt nationalist and authoritarian leanings in his policy work.
But the idea that calling a political figure a “fascist” amounts to terrorism? That’s a new one.
Van Orden’s escalation highlights the scorched-earth tactics increasingly common on the right, where political insults are now being spun as criminal acts—even though Trump himself has used the word “fascist” to attack Democrats. If calling someone a fascist is terrorism, we’re going to need a few thousand more courtrooms. After all, inflammatory name-calling isn’t new—it’s practically the native language of American politics these days.
As for Newsom, he hasn’t responded to the lawmaker’s accusation. The original tweet remains posted.
