What can really be said about Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) that hasn’t already been said—other than that he may be one of the least self-aware figures in national politics? Swalwell is the political equivalent of the guy flexing in the gym mirror while sneaking glances around to see if anyone’s watching—except he never actually picks up the weights.
In his own mind, he’s a he-man; to everyone else, he’s a pesky Barney Fife with an X account.
The TDS-riddled left-wing Democrat has built his entire brand around hating President Donald Trump, endlessly bouncing between CNN and MS NOW, howling about impeachment and racking up precisely zero accomplishments of note. He loves to cosplay as a defender of “democracy,” the First Amendment, and whatever virtue happens to be trending that day—but in reality, he’s a walking melodrama.
In the end, Swalwell is a legend in his own mind: a peevish little man forever auditioning for the role of Serious Leader, while in practice he’s just another grandstanding backbencher.
There. That should do it, at least for now.
Anyway, Swalwell—who is reportedly running for governor of the not-so-Golden State—popped up on MS NOW on Tuesday, bristling with faux hubris, and proceeded to mouth off about what he claims he’ll do to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents if he wins.
Man, would I love to see him try this:
Eric Swalwell says if he is elected governor of California, he will make sure federal agents are charged with "kidnapping" and "assault" and will take away their driver's licenses. pic.twitter.com/T58GZT74MR
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 31, 2025
Host Jason Johnson set Swalwell up (because of course):
What would you do if you are able to be elected as governor of California? Yes, we’ve seen over just not just one year of this new regime, that it’s the states that tend to be the strongest pushback. It’s the governors of Illinois, it’s the governor of Michigan, governor of Virginia, Maryland, everything else like that. What will you bring to the table? Because California, just by size and GDP alone, is sort of the tip of the spear. What would you bring to the table as a governor of California?
If he was actually being honest, he would respond with something like, “More pain, suffering, and theft of residents’ hard-earned money thanks to my left-wing extremist agenda.” But no. He stuck to his usual posturing self:
Well, you have immense powers as governor of California and your responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in the state. So if the president is going to send ICE agents to chase immigrants through the fields where they work, what I’m going to do is make sure that they take off their masks and show their faces, that they show their identification.
No, Eric, you only think you’re going to make federal agents “take off their masks” (so your left-wing lunatic homies in Congress and around the country can dox them and endanger them and their families). You can’t do squat to a federal agent who is doing his or her job within the law and within the framework of the Constitution.
But to be honest, if he did try to order his state patrol or police to ‘arrest ICE agents,’ I’d pay to see President Trump’s reaction and FBI Director Kash Patel’s face when he gets to slap cuffs on Swalwell for obstructing justice.
The dude with little man syndrome continued:
And if they commit crimes then they’re going to be charged with crimes, if it’s falsely imprisoning people, if it’s kidnapping, if it’s assault battery, they’re going to be held accountable.
I also think if the governor has the ability to issue driver’s licenses to people in California, if you’re going to wear a mask and not identify yourself, you’re not going to be eligible to drive a vehicle in California. There’s a lot you can do, but most importantly, you have to go on offense. Otherwise, the most vulnerable in our community will always be on defense.
Enforcing immigration laws and acting on immigration removal orders isn’t “breaking the law,” li’l Eric. And besides, let’s be real: This bro isn’t going to do a damned thing to federal agents. This is “Swolwell” just posturing to his equally left-wing base.
Meanwhile, an expert in the Constitution and the law, Georgetown University law school prof Jonathan Turley, dissect Swalwell’s threat with the cold hard fact that federal laws are superior to state and local laws:
The first tiny barrier to Swalwell’s antebellum policies is the Supremacy Clause, which prevents states from “interfering with or controlling the operations of the Federal Government.” United States v. Washington (2022). Since McCulloch v. Maryland in 1819, the Supreme Court has consistently struck down state laws that impede federal enforcement.
Moreover, immunity under the Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2) bars criminally charging officials who are properly carrying out their lawful federal duties. For example, in 1890, the Supreme Court ruled In re Neagle that a U.S. Marshal had immunity when a state tried to charge him with murder after he shot and killed an individual attacking a justice.
I forgot to mention that Turley’s a pretty good legal historian, too.
Last time I checked, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, National Guard troops, and U.S. Border Patrol have been doing exactly what they swore an oath to do: follow the Constitution and enforce the supreme law of the land. That includes rounding up and deporting illegal aliens—millions of whom were deliberately ushered into the country under former President Joe Biden and the Democrats’ open-borders agenda.
Will Swalwell become California’s next governor? Probably not, but someone equally loony-left will and that’s just as bad. What a waste of what used to be a good state.
