President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops mobilized and deployed to Los Angeles following two days of mass protests and attacks on federal immigration agents that appear to come at the behest of LA Mayor Karen Bass and the LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
Late Saturday, as videos of attacks on columns of ICE and Border Patrol vehicles were posted online following arrests of suspected illegal immigrants, the president took to his Truth Social platform to criticize Democratic leaders in LA and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had yet to respond to the rioting.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” Trump wrote.
Early Sunday morning, Trump followed up his initial post with another that included a call to criminalize the wearing of masks at protests, which is often done to shield an individual’s identity:
Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest. We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster. Federal permitting is complete!), unable … to handle the task. These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED. Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!
The posts come after Trump federalized elements of the California National Guard when Newsom failed to act in a bid to restore order to Los Angeles and provide protection for federal immigration agents.
For his part, Newsom took to social media to complain about Defense Secretary Hegseth’s decision to deploy the Guard on Trump’s orders while also instructing Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton in southern California to be on alert for potential deployment.
“The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice,” Newsom wrote on X.
“We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust,” he added.
Earlier he wrote: “The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
That drew a response from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “Illegal criminal aliens and violent mobs have been committing arson, throwing rocks at vehicles, and attacking federal law enforcement for days. Gavin Newsom has done nothing to stop this violence. He should be thanking President Trump for bringing law and order to California — a basic value that Newsom and his fellow Democrats have failed to uphold.”
On Saturday, tear gas was deployed near a Home Depot in Paramount, California, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were reportedly carrying out a raid.
The operation sparked a violent protest, resulting in several arrests for assaulting federal agents, according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks, Fox News reported.
Rioters could be seen heaving rocks at ICE and Border Patrol vehicles in several videos posted online. At one point, an ICE was injured when a rock penetrated his vehicle’s windshield.