President Donald Trump likely feels justified in his decision to send National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to the rioting sparked by the deportation of undocumented immigrants. Initially, the situation was downplayed, but local law enforcement officials have since acknowledged that the chaos has escalated beyond their control and external assistance is necessary.
This development directly contradicts the stance taken by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has consistently maintained that the Los Angeles Police Department is capable of handling the unrest without intervention from the National Guard.
On Monday morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that Newsom is “too weak” to protect the city. Violent protestors have been launching attacks against police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over the weekend, leaving them overwhelmed.
Leavitt further criticized Newsom’s handling of the situation, alleging that he “did nothing” as the riots intensified on Friday and spread across the city throughout the weekend.
“Federal law enforcement officers were attacked by violent radicals and illegal criminals waving foreign flags because Governor Newsom was too weak to protect the city,” Leavitt went on to say. “The Los Angeles Police Chief has even said the riots were getting out of hand.”
“President Trump has stepped in to maintain law and order and protect federal buildings,” she continued.
To counter the escalating violence, President Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The first units began arriving Sunday morning. According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, these forces are tasked with enhancing security around federal buildings, supporting peaceful demonstrators, and assisting law enforcement officers.
Meanwhile, Governor Newsom intensified his criticism of Trump on Monday, calling the president “unhinged.” Through a series of posts on X, he accused Trump of unlawfully federalizing the National Guard and worsening the situation with his actions.
“This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted,” Newsom said. “He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard. The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA. It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing.”
“We’re suing him,” Newsom continued.
The Trump administration has defended its actions by arguing that Newsom failed to manage the riots appropriately from the outset, which necessitated the president’s intervention to protect public safety and prevent a repeat of the 2020 unrest following George Floyd’s death.
Newsom also took aim at Trump’s border enforcement official Tom Homan, challenging him directly.
“Trump’s border czar is threatening to arrest me for speaking out. Come and get me, tough guy. I don’t give a damn,” Newsom vowed in his post. “It won’t stop me from standing up for California.”
He accused Trump of exceeding his authority by deploying National Guard forces without local consent, emphasizing that “local law enforcement didn’t need help.”
“Let’s get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn’t need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded. 4) Now things are destabilized, and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump’s mess,” Newsom stated in a different post.
The narrative from the Los Angeles Police Department diverges significantly from that of Governor Newsom. On Sunday night, the LAPD classified the demonstrations as an “unlawful assembly” after participants refused to disperse from the downtown area.
Central Division posted on X, “Agitators have splintered into and through out the Downtown Area. Residents, businesses and visitors to the Downtown Area should be alert and report any criminal activity. Officers are responding to several different locations to disperse crowds.”
“An UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY has been declared for the Downtown Los Angeles area,” the department said.
