Trump’s chaos campaign in Los Angeles

Cleaning up Trump’s mess

On Saturday, there were 250+ protesters pre-National Guard deployment. On Sunday following the President’s illegal National Guard Deployment, the protesters grew to over 3,000. The military’s presence is inviting and incentivizing demonstrations.

Since President Trump’s impulsive memo and actions to send the military to the Los Angeles region, the state has continued to work with local partners to surge 800+ additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump’s mess. Local and state law enforcement has had to intervene to protect public safety. The National Guard is currently standing sentry outside federal buildings, with local and state law enforcement doing all of the work. Moreover, the troops that have been sent in were “wildly underprepared” and are sleeping on floors.

The President’s actions have not only caused widespread panic and chaos, but have unnecessarily created an additional diversion of resources as the state tries to calm a community terrorized by this reckless federal action.

Here’s what Governor Newsom is doing about it:

• On Sunday, Governor Newsom formally requested the federalization of the National Guard members be rescinded – and the state regain control, rightfully. He also met with local law enforcement leaders on the ground for a situation update.
• On Monday, the Governor and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its illegal takeover of the California National Guard. The Governor also met with local and state officials on the ground for an updated briefing.
• On Tuesday, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta requested the court step in to immediately block the Trump administration’s unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles to include immigration enforcement in communities.

Meeting with local and state officials to discuss strategies to maintain the peace in Los Angeles.

State and local leaders are standing together to clean Trump’s mess and pick up the pieces to ensure the safety of our communities. pic.twitter.com/TdzNlWyVoa

— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 9, 2025

Trump is deliberately provoking unrest — as our democracy hangs in the balance

President Trump is deliberately sowing chaos – creating fear and disorder for political gain, so he can justify deploying troops. This isn’t public safety – it’s authoritarian theater. At every step, the President has lied – about coordination with the state, about the Guard’s, and about conditions on the ground. He said the city was “under control” thanks to the Guard — when they hadn’t even been deployed.

This is 100% a Trump manufactured crisis.

He and his team are sowing chaos and division — unnecessarily and without any formal request from local law enforcement.

Simply put, it’s unlawful and it needs to end — ASAP. pic.twitter.com/BdgefOTD2B

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) June 9, 2025

The President’s authoritarian moves are threatening our democracy. You can’t threaten to arrest a Governor just because you don’t agree with them. As Governor Newsom said, President Trump’s actions represent “an unmistakable step towards authoritarianism.”

Illegal militarization 

On June 7, one day after the protests began, President Trump issued a memorandum purporting to authorize the DOD to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a “form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States” and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias.

The action puts state sovereignty in danger, as his order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia. 

The absurdity of threatening the people of the United States of America with their own military is morally reprehensible.

Stand back @realdonaldtrump. Rescind your illegal order immediately. pic.twitter.com/3WX5LWvkAT

— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 10, 2025

The U.S. Constitution and the Title 10 authority the President invoked in the memo require that the Governor consent to federalization of the National Guard, which Governor Newsom was not given the opportunity to do prior to their deployment and which he confirmed he had not given shortly after their deployment. The President’s unlawful order infringes on Governor Newsom’s role as Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and violates the state’s sovereign right to control and have available its National Guard in the absence of a lawful invocation of federal power.

Additionally, DOD has expanded CalGuard’s duties, ordering them to assist ICE agents in civilian law enforcement activities — including arresting and detaining immigrants and others who may be suspected or accused of interfering with ICE — a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution and the rights of American citizens. 

Trump is defunding public safety

President Trump’s budget proposal that Republicans are claiming would “solve” the manufactured crisis they made in Los Angeles, actually defunds public safety efforts across the country. It cuts:

• $1 billion across 40 Department of Justice (DOJ) grant programs which support police departments and reduce violent crime, hate crime, and crime against women.
• $646 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for violence and terrorism prevention.
• $545 million from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), cutting its workforce by more than 2,000 personnel and reducing its capacity to keep criminals off the street.

The President’s budget proposal would push our country further into debt, betraying his supporters from a promise he made to them. He wants to distract from this unpopular and disastrous bill by manufacturing a crisis in Los Angeles.

Hypocrisy on full display

In 2020, President Trump said he wouldn’t federalize National Guard members without the approval of the state’s Governor first. His own Department of Homeland Security leader said just last year that federalizing the National Guard would be a direct attack on state rights. The federal administration is adding more National Guard soldiers and Marines to an already charged situation when they are unneeded. There are 1,600 soldiers waiting for commands at armories in the area.