The crisis in Los Angeles began with a raid aimed at provoking a reaction. It continued with protests, quickly escalated into violence and open clashes with security forces, fires, and riot police charges. Looting. It rose to an unprecedented level in 60 years with the mobilization of the National Guard from Washington and moved to the courts, with a complaint from the State against the federal Executive. And now it has become something almost unheard of, with the President of the United States opening the door to the detention of the governor of California and laying the groundwork to invoke an Insurrection Act from the early 19th century and mobilize hundreds of marines on national soil.
"I would do it if I were Tom Homan. I think it's great. Gavin likes publicity... He has done a terrible job. I like Newsom, he's a good guy, but he is tremendously incompetent, everyone knows it," Trump said today from the White House, encouraging his immigration 'czar' and face of deportations to carry out his weekend threats against the governor of the largest, wealthiest, and most populous state in the country, also a major stronghold of Democratic voters.
Los Angeles takes to the streets against raids after the mobilization of the National Guard: "Trump has no shame and will not stop"
After last week's reputational crisis, with the courts halting his tariffs and the well-publicized break with Elon Musk, who even called for an impeachment and accused the president of covering up the investigation into the files of the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein because he himself appeared in the papers, Donald Trump has found the perfect fight to concentrate his forces, focus media attention, and ignite his base.
The U.S. immigration services carried out raids on Thursday and Friday in predominantly Latino areas of Los Angeles, immediately sparking protests, demonstrations, and later riots throughout the city. In a matter of hours, the clashes not only turned violent, with the Police using heavy force, tear gas, and deploying personnel with tactical gear or snipers, and some groups taking advantage to loot stores or gas stations. But they also turned into a high-level showdown between the White House and the Governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom, who is about to end his term but is rumored in all circles as a possible candidate for the 2028 presidential elections.
Throughout the weekend, the Executive and Newsom exchanged accusations, complaints, and insults. On Friday night, the White House, in an extreme and very unusual move, mobilized and federalized the National Guard, up to 2,000 troops, the first time since 1965 that a president has done something like this against the will of a state, when Lyndon B. Johnson did it to protect Civil Rights protesters in Alabama. But in addition, more than 500 marines stationed in California have been mobilized to perform equivalent tasks while the National Guard regroups and deploys.
A very serious and dangerous step while Defense Department lawyers help shape what is known as rules of engagement, the mandate and rules of engagement that define what the marines can do when facing protesters who are American citizens on the streets of Los Angeles. When they can use violence, and even open fire.
However, on Monday, Trump raised the tone even further. Newsom has repeatedly stated that the president is responsible, while demanding and imploring that there be no violence to avoid giving him arguments. "Donald Trump has created a crisis and is aggravating the situation. If he can't solve it, we will. To the bad actors fueling Trump's flames: California will hold them accountable," he said in a message on Sunday. "Donald Trump is adding fuel to the fire. Recruiting the National Guard from a state without consulting the governor is illegal and immoral," he said in another. "He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do it? He knows where to find me... Come and arrest me. Let's end this once and for all, tough guy. I don't care," he said in an open challenge not to Trump, but to Tom Homan, his "immigration czar," the person responsible for the raids who had threatened hours earlier to detain him.
On Monday, Homan continued to attack Newsom but stated on television that although "no one is above the law," there were no concrete plans to detain the governor, the mayor, or any official. However, Trump has taken the lead, moving in some uncharted territory, but in a type of confrontation in which he feels very comfortable. "Those causing the problem are professional agitators, they are insurrectionists. They are bad people, they should be in jail," he added. The language is important because if instead of immigrants they are "foreign invaders," as he says on his social media, he may try to apply the 1797 Law he has invoked to deport Venezuelans, for example. And if they are "insurrectionists" and not protesters, he can invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, something that for example George Bush Sr. did in 1992 after the riots over the video of the beating of Rodney King.
Trump is preparing the ground well, with clear messages. "Arrest the masked ones right now," "it looks very bad in LA, bring the troops," "they are paid insurrectionists," "once a great city, Los Angeles has been invaded and occupied by undocumented immigrants and criminals. Now, violent and insurgent mobs harass and attack our federal agents," he said over the weekend.
"We made a great decision by sending the National Guard to deal with the violent riots instigated in California. If we hadn't, Los Angeles would have been completely destroyed. The incompetent "Governor," Gavin Newscum," a play on words with the surname and the word "scum," and "the "Mayor," Karen Bass, should say: "THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR." Instead, they prefer to lie to the people of California and the United States, saying that we were not needed and that these are "peaceful protests." Just look at the photos and videos of the violence and destruction to know everything," he wrote in his usual tone on his Truth Social account.