 "Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, on Sunday, following last night's immigration raid protest. AP")
President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to deploy the National Guard amid recent unrest in Los Angeles, claiming the move stopped the city from being “completely obliterated.”
Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.”
The president slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“The very incompetent ‘Governor,’ Gavin Newscum, and ‘Mayor,’ Karen Bass, should be saying, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR.’ Instead, they choose to lie to the People of California and America by saying that we weren’t needed, and that these are ‘peaceful protests.’ Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction tells you all you have to know. We will always do what is needed to keep our Citizens SAFE, so we can, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump added.
Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles, overriding Newsom’s objections over the weekend.
Trump ‘supports’ Newsom arrest
According to a Reuters report, President Trump suggested that he would support an arrest of Newsom amid pro-immigration protests in the state, which prompted the president to deploy the National Guard.
On Saturday, Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar, threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts in the state, including Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Newsom responded during an NBC News interview by challenging Homan to “just get it over with” and move ahead with the arrest.
Asked on Monday about Newsom daring Homan to arrest him, Trump said, “I would.”
Lawsuit against Trump
Meanwhile, Newsom said he planned to file a lawsuit against President Trump on Monday in response to the administration’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard to confront immigration protesters who took to the streets in Los Angeles.
“Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral,” AP quoted Newsom, a Democrat, as saying to MSNBC on Sunday.
Los Angeles streets were quiet Monday morning, but smoke lingered downtown after a chaotic night of protests. Demonstrators had blocked a major freeway, set self-driving cars on fire, and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades. A heavy law enforcement presence remained, especially around the federal detention center that was a focal point of the unrest.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThough much of the city saw no violence, several downtown blocks were hit by clashes. Cleanup of burned vehicles and graffiti is expected to take days. Sunday marked the third—and most intense—day of demonstrations against President Trump’s immigration crackdown. The arrival of 300 National Guard troops only heightened tensions.
As night fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, many protesters dispersed. Others stayed, throwing objects from behind barricades, including rocks, fireworks, and electric scooters. Some California Highway Patrol officers were forced to take cover beneath an overpass.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were “overwhelmed” by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.
Trump responded to McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks.
“Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” he wrote.
Trump blames ‘insurrectionists’ for LA unrest
At White House, President Trump blamed “insurrectionists” for unrest in Los Angeles.
“The people that are causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists,” AFP quoted Trump as telling reporters at the White House.
“They’re bad people, they should be in jail,” he added when asked about the clashes occurring in parts of the second biggest US city.
The Republican, who turns 79 on Saturday, did not give evidence of why the street protesters are insurrectionists.
Trump was returning to the White House after meeting with senior US officials and military officers at his Camp David presidential retreat.
Trump did not reply when asked several times by reporters whether he plans to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow the military to be used as a domestic police force.
The White House has previously said Trump relied on a seldom used law, known as Title 10, to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles despite California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom saying the move was unnecessary, given the limited nature of the protests.
Trump lashed out at Newsom, who has been widely tipped as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, over the unrest.
“He’s done a terrible job. Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy – but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows,” Trump said.
With inputs from agencies