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Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran, is slated to attend a 250th anniversary celebration of the Marine Corps in the Golden State on Saturday, and his communications team has accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of disseminating “Fake News” ahead of the festivities.
“Donald Trump and JD Vance think that shutting down the I-5 to shoot out missiles from ships is how you respect the military. PUT ASIDE YOUR VANITY PARADE AND PAY OUR TROOPS INSTEAD,” the Democratic governor declared in a post on X.
Newsom made the comments when retweeting a post from the left-leaning outlet MeidasTouch that read, “Sources tell MeidasTouch the White House will shut down portions of the I-5 for Vice President JD Vance’s Marine Corps spectacle during No Kings Protests, triggering chaos, gridlock, and outrage as troops go unpaid during the shutdown.”
Special assistant to the president and communications director to the vice president, William Martin, pushed back against Newsom’s post.
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Left: Vice President JD Vance during a memorial service for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025; Right: California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a news conference to kick off the Yes on 50 campaign at the California Democratic Party Headquarters on Aug. 21, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (Left: Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“This is complete fake news. The Marine Corps said they are NOT shutting down the I-5 highway and that the event at Camp Pendleton is a training exercise. Also, President Trump IS paying the troops despite Chuck Schumer’s efforts to hold their salaries hostage,” Martin declared in a post on X, which has been retweeted by the @VP X account.
A Marine Corps press release about the festivities indicates that “No public highways or transportation routes will be closed.”
“I Marine Expeditionary Force will host a live-fire Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Red Beach, Camp Pendleton, followed by a community Beach Bash at Del Mar Beach on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, to mark the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday and America’s Semiquincentennial,” it notes.
“The force training activities planned ensure our readiness to defend the Homeland and protect our Nation’s interests abroad against emergent and unprecedented challenges today and in the years ahead. The capabilities demonstration will feature integrated Navy and Marine Corps operations across air, land, and sea,” the release explains.
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A U.S. Marines patch is shown on a uniform at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Sept. 26, 2025, in San Diego, Calif. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Vance press secretary Taylor Van Kirk accused the California governor of purposefully pushing “Fake News.”
“Governor Newsom is deliberately spreading Fake News to Californians to fearmonger and score cheap political points. Vice President Vance is eager to be in California on Saturday celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Corps alongside United States Marines who, despite the Democrats’ shutdown, will continue to receive pay thanks to President Trump’s hard work,” she asserted.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsom’s office said, “We’re relieved the White House backed off its plans to shut down a major interstate. Now that I-5 will stay open, we hope the Trump Administration applies that same common sense to reopening the federal government!”
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President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance during a meeting with President of Argentina Javier Milei in the Cabinet Room at the White House on Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith will also attend the celebration on Saturday, according to a press release from Vance’s office.
Fox News’ Nicolas Rojas contributed to this report
