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Trump Jumps at the Chance for a Confrontation in California Over Immigration
NEWS ANALYSIS
Trump Jumps at the Chance for a Confrontation in California Over Immigration
The situation has all the elements that the president seeks: a showdown with a top political rival in a deep blue state over an issue core to his agenda.
National Guard troops in Los Angeles on Sunday. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has formally asked the Trump administration to remove them. Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
By Tyler Pager
Reporting from Washington
Published June 8, 2025
Updated June 9, 2025, 7:55 a.m. ET
Leer en español
It is the fight President Trump had been waiting for, a showdown with a top political rival in a deep blue state over an issue core to his political agenda.
In bypassing the authority of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, to call in the National Guard to quell protests in the Los Angeles area over his administration’s efforts to deport more migrants, Mr. Trump is now pushing the boundaries of presidential authority and stoking criticism that he is inflaming the situation for political gain.
Local and state authorities had not sought help in dealing with the scattered protests that erupted after an immigration raid on Friday in the garment district. But Mr. Trump and his top aides leaned into the confrontation with California leaders on Sunday, portraying the demonstrations as an existential threat to the country — setting in motion an aggressive federal response that in turn sparked new protests across the city.
As more demonstrators took to the streets, the president wrote on social media that Los Angeles was being “invaded and occupied” by “violent, insurrectionist mobs,” and directed three of his top cabinet officials to take any actions necessary to “liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion.”
{snip}
President Donald Trump in New Jersey on Sunday. On social media, he, his aides and allies have sought to frame the demonstrations against immigration officials on their own terms. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times
{saluting Secret Service agents? snip.}
Tyler Pager is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
Trump Jumps at the Chance for a Confrontation in California Over Immigration
The situation has all the elements that the president seeks: a showdown with a top political rival in a deep blue state over an issue core to his agenda.
National Guard troops in Los Angeles on Sunday. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has formally asked the Trump administration to remove them. Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
By Tyler Pager
Reporting from Washington
Published June 8, 2025
Updated June 9, 2025, 7:55 a.m. ET
Leer en español
It is the fight President Trump had been waiting for, a showdown with a top political rival in a deep blue state over an issue core to his political agenda.
In bypassing the authority of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, to call in the National Guard to quell protests in the Los Angeles area over his administration’s efforts to deport more migrants, Mr. Trump is now pushing the boundaries of presidential authority and stoking criticism that he is inflaming the situation for political gain.
Local and state authorities had not sought help in dealing with the scattered protests that erupted after an immigration raid on Friday in the garment district. But Mr. Trump and his top aides leaned into the confrontation with California leaders on Sunday, portraying the demonstrations as an existential threat to the country — setting in motion an aggressive federal response that in turn sparked new protests across the city.
As more demonstrators took to the streets, the president wrote on social media that Los Angeles was being “invaded and occupied” by “violent, insurrectionist mobs,” and directed three of his top cabinet officials to take any actions necessary to “liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion.”
{snip}
President Donald Trump in New Jersey on Sunday. On social media, he, his aides and allies have sought to frame the demonstrations against immigration officials on their own terms. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times
{saluting Secret Service agents? snip.}
Tyler Pager is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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