(Up to date with extra particulars) Reeling from widespread harsh ICE raids and responding protests and resistance over the previous 24 hours, Los Angeles has change into a powder keg with Donald Trump deploying 2,000 California Nationwide Guard troops over the objection of Governor Gavin Newsom and different SoCal leaders
As rock-throwing and bellowing Angelenos sought to cease undocumented people being focused by masked and closely armored federal brokers from being dragged away from a House Depot in Paramount, Calif. and LA’s Westlake neighborhood at present, Trump took to social media to announce a de facto takeover of the Metropolis of Angels. “If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everybody is aware of they’ll’t, then the Federal Authorities will step in and clear up the issue, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the best way it ought to be solved!!!” he mentioned (caps’ Trump).
(L-R): Gavin Newsom, LAPD marches on protesters June 6, Donald Trump
Getty Photographs
Declaring “to the extent that protests or acts of violence straight inhibit the execution of the legal guidelines, they represent a type of rise up in opposition to the authority of the Authorities of america” in a memorandum at present, Trump says the federalized troops’ “length of responsibility shall be for 60 days or on the discretion of the Secretary of Protection.”
No different particulars have been launched of how the troops might be deployed, the place they are going to be deployed, if there might be a curfew and if native regulation enforcement might be working with them – although the LAPD referred to the unrest Trump was reacting to as “peaceable,” in a press release put out Saturday night time. Elevating the stakes much more, and seeming to ignore federal regulation, Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth proclaimed that “if violence continues, lively responsibility Marines at Camp Pendleton may even be mobilized — they’re on excessive alert.”
There’s additionally no indication that native regulation enforcement felt they wanted large time backup or, even with a burning automobile within the streets, had misplaced management, which is the standard normal for bringing within the Nationwide Guard.
What we do know is that with LA supposedly underneath such nice risk that hundreds of troops must hit the streets, Trump is sitting ringside proper now on the UFC 13 present in Newark, New Jersey.
(L-R) UFC CEO Dana White & Donald Trump attend UFC 316 on the Prudential Middle in Newark, New Jersey on June 7, 2025. (Photograph by FRANK FRANKLIN II/POOL/AFP through Getty Photographs)
Together with UFC boss and Trump buddy Dana White, POTUS is socializing with would-be Paramount proprietor David Ellison, ex-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, interim New Jersey U.S. Lawyer Alina Habba, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, plus members of the family Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Eric Trump. Proper by Trump’s facet on the final UFC pile-on POTUS attended, Elon Musk was nowhere to be seen Saturday. Not shocking because the ex-DOGE chief and Trump had a really, very public and scorching falling-out final week with flames thrown from each side.
Shortly backed up by native and regional California politicians amid the state of affairs in LA, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed and condemned Trump’s close to unprecedented troop motion.
“That transfer is purposefully inflammatory and can solely escalate tensions,” the Democrat and Trump foil mentioned of the federal “takeover” of the state by the Nationwide Guard, one thing he expressly didn’t need. “LA authorities are in a position to entry regulation enforcement help at a second’s discover. We’re in shut coordination with the town and county, and there may be at present no unmet want. The Guard has been admirably serving LA all through restoration. That is the unsuitable mission and can erode public belief.”
In a publish simply minutes earlier than, Newsom mentioned the not-so-quiet factor out loud in a rustic that has been whiplashed by way of one Constitutional disaster after one other since Trump returned to workplace with authoritarian measures. “The federal authorities is sowing chaos to allow them to have an excuse to escalate,” the Governor mentioned. “That’s not the best way any civilized nation behaves.”
With extra protests anticipated, Newsom has put the California Freeway Patrol on the scene to verify security “is maintained on California’s highways.” Praising his previous boss, Senator Alex Padilla added: “The Trump Administration is simply sowing extra chaos and division in our communities.” LA Mayor Bass took a extra customary circumspect strategy
Others had been a lot much less circumspect.
Veteran showrunner Steven DeKnight amplified predictions of the place this might all go.
Raids in LA’s Trend District and different place in DTLA on Friday, in addition to San Diego, noticed unexpectedly organized responses as protesters filmed the roundups, lept in entrance of presidency vans and even attacked the Edward R. Roybal Federal Constructing and United States Courthouse the place ICE brokers had taken the over 100 those who had been taken into custody. Amongst these hit to the bottom by federal brokers and brought off was SEIU labor chief David Huerta, which led to an outpouring of help from unions and guilds all around the state and nation — although Hollywood guilds SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have been silent up to now.
With all this taking place, it was the gas-shooting LAPD who confirmed up Friday night time to clear the realm across the Roybal and get out the trapped ICE employees — or at the least tried to. This was regardless of the insistence of Mayor Bass and the LAPD chief that the police wouldn’t be getting concerned.
Trying an increasing number of like a setup, Trump’s transfer got here just some hours after his Deportation chief Tom Homan went on Fox Information to warn LA what was coming if the streets weren’t emptied ASAP. “We’re going to carry Nationwide Guard in tonight,” he mentioned, echoing numerous administration officers and cupboard secretaries. “We’re going to proceed doing our job. We’re going to push again on these individuals, and we’re going to implement the regulation.”
Led by White Home deputy chief of employees and the person typically referred to as Trump’s Prime Minister, Santa Monica-raised Stephen Miller, different Trump loyalists like Vice President JD Vance took to Elon Musk’s X platform to again their boss.
Nobody in energy is brazenly saying the phrases “Rebel Act,” however each Vance and Miller could have overplayed their fingers after they began pushing Trump’s legislative agenda. “Time to cross President Trump’s lovely invoice and additional safe the border,” mentioned Vance of the more and more unstable invoice that even Musk has attacked as a deficit bloater.
On the opposite facet of the spectrum, Governor Newsom’s pushback comment on Trump bringing 2,000 troops into LA was solely the most recent escalation of stress he has with the White Home. After CNN reported that the Trump administration was getting ready to punish the state by withholding federal funds, Newsom issued a press release and video mentioning that California tax {dollars} subsidize different states. He additionally threatened to chop off that stream of tax {dollars} to the federal authorities.
As Blackhawk helicopters had been reportedly offloading a cache of weapons on Saturday night close to a DHS staging facility in Compton, the White Home put out one other assertion justifying its actions. “In current days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Regulation Enforcement Brokers finishing up primary deportation operations in Los Angeles, California,” mentioned Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Claiming “lawlessness has been allowed to fester,” Leavitt added: “The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance coverage for felony habits and violence, particularly when that violence is geared toward regulation enforcement officers making an attempt to do their jobs. These criminals might be arrested and swiftly delivered to justice. The Commander-in-Chief will make sure the legal guidelines of america are executed absolutely and fully.”
As this was all taking place, little or no of the explosive occasions occurring in America’s second-largest metropolis had been being coated on the cable newsers. The truth is, it was the U.Ok.’s BBC that was the one outlet to be on the scene dwell.
As FNC chatted with the CIA Director, and MSNBC stayed on a phase on previous ICE actions, CNN initially caught to its panel programming following the dwell broadcast of the Tony-nominated Good Night time and Good Luck starring George Clooney. It took nearly 40 minutes for the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned channel to chop to the information out of LA.
Ted Johnson contributed to this report
