Los Angeles has seen a surge in protests against the government’s immigration enforcement in recent days, with demonstrations escalating into violent actions that have captured widespread attention. On Tuesday, June 10th, United States President Trump responded to questions from reporters about whether he would invoke the Insurrection Act.
“If there is a rebellion, I will definitely invoke it. We will wait and see,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I can tell you, last night was very bad, and the night before was also very bad.”
The President went on to describe the violence he witnessed during the protests in Los Angeles. He mentioned people wielding sledgehammers to break concrete, smashing curbstones, then passing these large chunks of concrete to others. They moved the concrete onto bridges and tossed them onto car roofs. They threw concrete at police officers, at soldiers there, “We stopped them, and we have now detained them.”
Trump also stated that if the federal government had not dispatched the National Guard, Los Angeles would have been burnt down, similar to a wildfire that consumed all houses a few months ago. “Los Angeles would now be a sea of flames, but we have protected it well.”
When asked how to determine if a rebellion had occurred, the President said, “Just look at the current situation.”
“I can tell you that in some areas of Los Angeles, you could call it a rebellion, the situation is very bad. But these are hired rebel elements, these are paid troublemakers. They are paid,” Trump said.
“They tried to throw it (granite or concrete) on the faces of soldiers, on the faces of police officers, seriously injuring some of them. They ran onto bridges, and when cars passed by, they threw it at the cars,” Trump added.
He went on to say that they were distributing concrete or granite as weapons to the protesters. “This is too bad, I’ve never seen this before.”
The day before, the President ordered around 700 US Marines to be deployed to Los Angeles to quell the protests. These forces arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Additionally, Trump has mobilized thousands of National Guard soldiers.
According to Reuters, military officials stated that the Marines do not have arrest authority but will protect federal property and personnel. The official mentioned that around 2,100 National Guard soldiers were stationed in the greater Los Angeles area on Tuesday, with more personnel on the way.