LA Protests: Trump and Newsom Clash as National Guard Deployed

California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to activate the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell anti-immigration enforcement protests in the city as “purposefully inflammatory,” calling on protesters not to give the administration a reason to justify the measure.

“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,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. “Don’t give them one.”

Why It Matters

While it is not the first time that the Trump administration has activated the National Guard to quell protests across the country, the U.S. president is doing so now despite Newsom’s explicit opposition. Normally, governors would be allowed to retain control and command of their state’s National Guard—but that is not what is happening this time in California.

The National Guard’s announced deployment in California is turning the Democratic-led state into a stage for the Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on immigration, showing how far the president is willing to go to keep his promise to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants during his second term in office.

What To Know

Protests against the White House’s workplace raids broke out across Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday, when federal security agents clashed with demonstrators. While there have been no reported arrests, the Trump administration said that the situation in the city was out of control and required federal intervention.

On Saturday, the president announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, justifying his decision as necessary to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” as the White House wrote in a presidential memorandum.

On Saturday, the president also wrote on his Truth Social profile: “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!”

But both Newsom and Bass have rejected claims that protests in Los Angeles were out of control, with the governor calling the Trump administration’s decision “purposefully inflammatory” and the mayor saying the National Guard’s presence would “not be helpful” in quelling demonstrations.

The situation could escalate even further if protests in Los Angeles continue. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon is considering sending active-duty troops to Los Angeles “if violence continues,” an idea that Newsom has condemned as “deranged.”

What They Are Saying

President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles were doing a “great job” at bringing order back into the city “after two days of violence, clashes and unrest.”

He added: “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!”

He called Newsom “incompetent,” accusing him and the Los Angeles mayor of being “unable to handle the task” of quelling protests in the city.

In response to Trump’s announcement and accusations, Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that the federal takeover of the California National Guard was “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.” He then urged protesters not to give them one, calling for peaceful demonstrations.

He later added in another post: “The secretary of defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X: “This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County. Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning. We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward.”

She added: “Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable.”

What Happens Next

The latest update from Bass on social media informed Los Angeles citizens that National Guard troops had not yet arrived in the city. “Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles,” she wrote on X.

The Trump administration said that the troops will arrive in the city within the next 24 hours.