Daniel Simon and Jesse Marx

The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — President Trump said he might pull federal money for California as a "weapon" as state legislators debate whether to adopt the title of sanctuary state.

During an interview Sunday ahead of the Super Bowl, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly asked the president about policies to protect immigrants in the country illegally and specifically the "collision course" anticipated between state and federal officials in California.

"I think it's ridiculous — sanctuary cities," Trump said. "As you know, I'm very much opposed to sanctuary cities. They breed crime. There's a lot of problems."

No evidence exists to say for certain whether sanctuary cities are more or less dangerous because of their immigration policies. Nevertheless, Trump promised that he would consider pulling federal resources "if we have to."

► Related: Chris Christie eager to partner with Trump on sanctuary cities

"We give tremendous amounts of money to California. California in many ways is out of control," the president said.

O'Reilly then asked if defunding was Trump's "weapon of choice."

"Well, it's a weapon. I don't want to defund the state or a city. I don't want to defund anybody. I want to give them the money they need to properly operate as a city or a state," Trump said. "If they (are) going to have sanctuary cities, we may have to do that. Certainly, that would be a weapon."

On Jan. 31, more than 200 protesters gathered in Palm Springs to demand that every city in the Coachella Valley write ordinances to declare themselves sanctuary cities for immigrants in the country illegally.

Officials in the city of Coachella have stated that it is a sanctuary city, but Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff said the policy doesn't apply to his deputies working in the city, which contracts with the sheriff's department for police services. The department has banned deputies from enforcing immigration law since 1978, but deputies do work with federal agencies in task forces.

Trump's posture Sunday was not unexpected.

Immediately following the November election, California lawmakers vowed to erect a wall of legal resistance against the Trump administration and hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for help.

Gov. Jerry Brown also tapped as the state's new attorney general, Xavier Becerra. He is a former congressman who promised to vigorously defend the state's clean energy initiatives and criminal justice reforms in addition to local immigration policies.

► Related: Will local police carry out Trump's deportation orders?

If the federal government wanted to “take on a forward-leaning state that is prepared to defend its rights and interests, then come at us,” Becerra told reporters in December.

U.S. history has plenty of precedent for this type of intergovernmental antagonism. During President Obama's tenure, Texas repeatedly sued federal agencies with mixed results.

Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY. Follow Daniel Simon and Jesse Marx on Twitter: @DanEdSimon and @marxjesse