Trump Deploys Hundreds Of Marines To Los Angeles

The Trump administration deployed between 500 and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles on Monday to assist the National Guard and local law enforcement as anti-ICE riots blew up in part of the city over the weekend.

CNN reported that 500 Marines from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California were mobilized, while ABC News reported that 700 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, were sent into the city.

Just before the Marines’ deployment was reported, Trump told ABC News, “We’ll see what happens” when asked about the possibility of sending them to L.A.

“I mean, I think we have it very well under control,” Trump said. “I think it would have been a very bad situation. It was heading in the wrong direction. It’s now heading in the right direction.”

On Saturday, Trump deployed the National Guard to the city, angering Democratic leaders such as Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Trump slammed Newsom and Bass for allowing the anti-ICE protests to turn into riots as federal, state, and local law enforcement officers were attacked by agitators slinging rocks and cement and shooting fireworks at them.

One person told CNN that the Marines are expected to relieve some of the 2,000 National Guard troops who have been in the city for two days now. Of the 2,000 National Guardsmen in L.A., only around 300 have been deployed to the streets. According to CNN, Defense Department lawyers are finalizing use-of-force guidelines for the Marines.

Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that “active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton” were standing ready on “high alert” in case of escalating violence. Newsom called Hegseth’s statement “deranged behavior.” Newsom has argued that the riots have been sufficiently contained by state and local authorities, but President Trump said on Monday that the city “would have been completely obliterated” without his action. Trump also told reporters on Monday that it would be “great” if his border czar, Tom Homan, arrested Newsom.

“He’s done a terrible job,” the president said of Newsom. “Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent.”

California sued the Trump administration over the president’s order to deploy the National Guard, alleging the president “is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis.” The lawsuit argues that Trump unconstitutionally called in the National Guard and infringed on Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s role without there being a clear threat of “invasion” or “rebellion.”

Newsom said that Trump’s move lays the groundwork for him to “send the military into ANY STATE HE WISHES.”