On October 18, 2025, the usually bustling stretch of Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and San Diego fell eerily silent. The reason? A historic live-fire military demonstration at Camp Pendleton to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Marine Corps—a spectacle that set off a political powder keg as intense as the artillery shells themselves.
The event, which the Marine Corps described as the largest continental demonstration in a decade, featured fighter jets roaring overhead, Navy vessels off the coast, helicopters slicing through the sky, and live fire from towed M777 howitzers. Crowds of Marines—some 15,000 strong—gathered on the coastal base, joined by Vice President JD Vance, himself a Marine Corps veteran. The air was thick with both smoke and symbolism, as the military put on a show of force meant to honor its storied history and, perhaps, to remind the public of its enduring might.
But the celebration quickly became a flashpoint for fierce debate. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and frequent critic of the Trump administration, ordered the closure of a 17-mile stretch of the I-5, citing what he called "extreme life safety risk and distraction to drivers, including sudden unexpected and loud explosions." According to The Daily Mail, the closure sparked gridlock and frustration, with drivers facing hour-long delays and local officials fuming over the lack of advance notice. "It came completely out of the blue," San Clemente City Councilmember Mark Enmeier said, adding that there had been "no coordination with any local officials on this whatsoever."
Newsom minced no words in his criticism, calling the plan "profoundly absurd" and accusing the Trump administration of orchestrating a "show of force that could put Californians directly in harm's way." He told The New York Times, "Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength—it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office the president holds." On social media, his office doubled down: "It is not safe for people to drive on a major freeway at high speeds directly under LIVE MUNITIONS," the statement read. "White House not communicating, endangering the public, and then trying to blame the Governor for doing the right thing—keeping people out of harm’s way—yet another day living in Trump’s authoritarian America."
The timing of the demonstration only added fuel to the fire. The artillery fire coincided with nationwide "No Kings" protests, which drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Protesters, waving placards that read "No Crown, No Dictator" and "Democracy, Not Dynasty," denounced what they saw as authoritarian tendencies in President Donald Trump’s administration. While Newsom didn’t officially join the rallies, analysts noted that his public defiance of the Pentagon resonated with the protestors’ message and amplified the movement’s tone of resistance.
Federal officials, however, flatly rejected Newsom’s justification for the closure. The Marine Corps and Pentagon insisted the event was planned months in advance and cleared under strict safety protocols. Gregory Dreibelbis, a spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, explained that "M777 artillery pieces have historically been fired during routine training from land-based artillery firing points west of I-5 into impact areas east of the interstate within existing safety protocols and without the need to close the route." He described the move as an "established and safe practice."
Vice President JD Vance, standing before hundreds of Marines, used the occasion both to honor the Corps and to wade into the political fray. "I would not be here today, I would not be the vice president of the United States, I would not be the man I am today were it not for those four years that I served in the Marine Corps," Vance said, recalling his own tour in Iraq in 2005. But he also took aim at Democrats, particularly Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, blaming them for the ongoing government shutdown. "Despite the Schumer shutdown, [Trump] is going to do everything he can to make sure you get paid exactly as you deserve," Vance assured the troops.
Vance’s communications director, William Martin, was even more direct in his response to Newsom’s criticism. "If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose the training exercises that ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the world, then he can go right ahead," Martin told CNN. "It would come as no surprise that he would stoop so low considering his pathetic track record of failure as governor." Martin further accused Newsom of trying to stoke fears, insisting that the Marine Corps had deemed the exercise safe and routine.
Yet for many Californians, the real impact was felt in traffic jams and disrupted routines. The closure of I-5 paralyzed one of America’s busiest transport corridors, with logistics experts estimating, according to The Daily Mail, that nearly $94 million in freight shipments were delayed each day the highway was shut. The FAA also closed airspace over the region for the afternoon, and Amtrak suspended its Pacific Surfliner train service near the affected stretch. Local business owners, like Joey Abi-Loutfi, voiced their irritation, quipping to the LA Times, "What a great use of funding."
Oceanside’s assistant police chief John McKean acknowledged the unusual nature of the event, noting that while authorities did not expect artillery fire to hit traffic, the loud booms might still frighten drivers. "It’s not like they’re going to get hit by explosives or anything like that, it’s just loud booms, and it may frighten [drivers when the rounds are] going to go off, because it’s going to be going off for about a good 15 or 20 minutes," he said.
The political ramifications of the standoff were immediate. Newsom’s decision was hailed by supporters as a courageous stand for state sovereignty and public safety, while critics lambasted it as political grandstanding. The closure, which some described as a "publicity stunt," deepened speculation about Newsom’s national ambitions—especially as a Newsweek poll found him trailing Vice President Vance by just one percentage point in a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup.
Meanwhile, the "No Kings" protests continued to gather steam, with California at the heart of a renewed debate about federal authority, state rights, and the limits of presidential power. For some, the episode symbolized a governor unafraid to challenge Washington; for others, it was a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting politics dictate public safety and military readiness.
As the smoke from the howitzers faded, the echoes of the political battle lingered. The anniversary demonstration, once intended as a tribute to the Marine Corps’ legacy, had become a defining moment in America’s ongoing struggle over power, patriotism, and the balance between state and federal authority.
