Los Angeles, California - Governor Gavin Newsom has responded after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called for him to face a bizarre punishment for his handling of the ongoing Los Angeles protests.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Johnson was asked if he believed Newsom should "face consequences in a legal way," and while he refused to call for his arrest as President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan have, Johnson suggested another way the governor could be punished.

"That's not my lane. I'm not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested," Johnson said.

"But he ought to be tarred and feathered, I'll say that."

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Johnson went on to argue that Newsom is "standing in the way" of the Trump administration from carrying out federal law by ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to carry out aggressive raids across the US, which have sparked the protests in LA.

In an X post later that day, Newsom shared a clip of Johnson's comments, writing, "Good to know we're skipping the arrest and going straight for the 1700s style forms of punishment."

"A fitting threat given the GOP want to bring our country back to the 18th century," Newsom added.

Johnson's comments come as the LA protests continue, growing violent in recent days after Trump responded by sending 2,000 National Guard soldiers to the city, without the formal request from the state's governor that is typically needed for a president to "federalize" the guard.

As reported by The Guardian, tarring and feathering was a form of public punishment first implemented by Richard I of England during the Crusades in 1189, during which an individual is "stripped naked and wood tar is applied to the skin followed by feathers." It was later used as a form of vigilante justice during the American Revolutionary War.

Today, the term is typically used as a metaphor to mean someone should face some form of public humiliation.

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Instead of working alongside Newsom to quell the volatile situation in LA, many of Trump's closest allies have sought to demean the governor, who has been a longstanding advocate for sanctuary cities.

Most recently, Trump's border czar Tom Homan threatened to file federal charges against Newsom and even have him arrested – an idea that the presidednt later backed.

When Trump was later asked what Newsom did to deserve being arrested, Trump said, "his primary crime is running for governor, because he's done such a bad job."