JD Vance, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner listen as Donald Trump speaks at his election night rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

President Donald Trump's repeated claims about $2 airfare between Los Angeles and San Francisco have raised eyebrows and drawn criticism, highlighting the tensions between his administration and California over infrastructure projects and immigration policy.

On Monday, amid ongoing protests in Los Angeles County over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, Trump once again made the dubious claim about cheap flights while discussing California's high-speed rail project. This came as the president faced questions about his controversial decision to federalize the California National Guard, a move that has escalated tensions with state officials.

The ongoing situation in Los Angeles stems from recent immigration enforcement actions by ICE, which have sparked widespread demonstrations. In response to the protests, Trump took the extraordinary step of federalizing the California National Guard on Sunday, bypassing Governor Gavin Newsom's authority. This decision immediately drew fierce criticism and legal challenges from state officials.

Governor Newsom, a Democrat and frequent Trump critic, swiftly condemned the president's action as an overreach of federal power. The state of California has since filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the president lacks the authority to deploy the National Guard without the governor's consent in this situation.

It was in this tense context that Trump fielded questions from reporters on Monday. When asked about the possibility of deploying Marines to Los Angeles, Trump gave a characteristic meandering response that veered into criticism of California's high-speed rail project.

"We'll see what happens. I mean, I think we have it very well under control," Trump began, before launching into a critique of Governor Newsom and the state's infrastructure projects. "I think it would've been a very bad situation. It was heading in the wrong direction. It's now heading in the right direction, and we hope to have the support of Gavin, because Gavin's the big beneficiary as we straighten out his problems. I mean, his state is a mess."

Trump then made his now-familiar claim about the cost of air travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco: "And I'd like to get somebody involved in the rail because look, personally, it should've never been built because you can fly there for $2. And what are you doing? They're doing that. You could drive, you could do lots of different things."

This statement echoes a similar claim Trump made in February, when he said of the high-speed rail project, "Nobody has ever seen anything like it. The worst overruns that there have ever been in the history of our country. And it wasn't even necessary. I would have said, you don't buy it. You take an airplane – it costs you $2. It costs you nothing. You take an airplane."

The repeated assertion of $2 airfare between major California cities has been widely debunked. In reality, flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco typically cost anywhere from $50 to $250 or more, depending on factors such as timing and demand. Trump's claim appears to be either a gross exaggeration or a fundamental misunderstanding of air travel costs.

The president's focus on California's high-speed rail project is not new. The project, which aims to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with a bullet train, has been a frequent target of Trump's criticism. In February, the Trump administration threatened to pull $4 billion in federal grants from the project, citing cost overruns and delays.

California's high-speed rail initiative, approved by voters in 2008, has indeed faced significant challenges. The project's estimated cost has ballooned from an initial $33 billion to over $100 billion, and its completion date has been pushed back multiple times. However, supporters argue that the project is crucial for California's long-term transportation needs and environmental goals.

The current standoff over the deployment of the National Guard is just the latest in a series of clashes. California has previously sued the Trump administration over various issues, including the construction of a border wall, environmental rollbacks and attempts to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities.

NOW READ: How this horrid show ends