Topline
President Donald Trump took credit Thursday for calming protests in Los Angeles, alleging his deployment of federal troops there stopped demonstrations from growing, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the military presence actually inflamed protests—as the two long-time political nemeses have contradicting narratives of their roles in managing the demonstrations.
National Guard troops and Department of Homeland Security Police officers fire tear gas and … More non-lethal rounds at demonstrators protesting at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building on June 8, 2025 in downtown Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Trump said Los Angeles “was safe and sound for the last two nights” and “without the Military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years,” he wrote on Truth Social, cheering the “great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines.”
No Marines have been deployed to the protests as of Thursday morning—the Defense Department said Wednesday 700 Marines had completed the necessary training to monitor the protests and would be deployed within 48 hours.
Attacking Newsom using his preferred nickname of “NewScum” to refer to the California governor, Trump said he “had totally lost control of the situation” and “should be saying THANK YOU” for “saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!”
Trump made the comments as protests in the Los Angeles area that cropped up over the weekend in response to Trump’s anti-immigration raids had largely subsided after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass set an overnight curfew that took effect Tuesday.
Newsom, however, alleged the presence of National Guard troops Trump sent to Los Angeles earlier this week only attracted more protesters and said the city “had to use our own law enforcement” to defend the National Guard, he told The New York Times in a podcast interview aired Thursday.
Tangent
Newsom and Trump have also given contradicting accounts of their communication throughout the week. Newsom called Trump a “stone-cold liar,” alleging Trump never mentioned the possibility of deploying the National Guard in a phone call Saturday, as Trump claimed. Newsom also disputed Trump’s claim that he called the governor Monday.
What To Watch For
A federal court hearing over whether Trump is allowed to deploy troops to the LA protests is set for Thursday. Newsom’s administration filed an emergency motion asking the court to block the deployment of about 2,800 service members, including 2,100 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines.
Key Background
Trump and Newsom have clashed throughout the week as Newsom has accused Trump of “perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions,” by sending in military troops, he said in televised speech Tuesday. Trump’s deployment of the National Guard without approval of a state governor is largely unprecedented in modern times. Los Angeles police arrested dozens of people for violating the 8 p.m. PT curfew imposed this week in what Bass said was an effort to deter bad actors, while the National Guard also said it briefly detained some protesters. The protests are widely viewed as a major moment for Newsom’s political future as he’s a top prospect for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
Further Reading
Los Angeles Protests Live Updates: National Guard Has Detained Some Protesters (Forbes)
Stephen Miller Pushes For Even More Surprise ICE Raids—His Deportation Quotas, Explained (Forbes)
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Sara Dorn