The scenes out of Los Angeles in the wake of anti-ICE protests-turned-riots have been disturbing, to say the least. One would think, particularly with the area still facing the devastating effects of January's wildfires, that local and state officials would be stepping up to quell the violence and protect their citizens.
Instead, we saw an initial response from Mayor Karen Bass that seemed to encourage the protests before she walked that back a bit. And Governor Gavin Newsom tried to Baghdad Bob the situation, even while it was clearly escalating out of control.
"Enough is enough" is the response from the Trump administration. On Saturday night, President Trump confirmed he was calling in the National Guard to help restore order since state and local authorities didn't seem to be willing to do so.
Whoops: Karen Bass May Have Had a Little Change of Heart About Anti-ICE Chaos in New Statement
While Democrats and the Left are now focusing their attention on howling over the administration's response (rather than actually addressing the violence necessitating it), Republican leaders are expressing their support of the decision to call in the Guard.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was asked about it on ABC News' "This Week" by host Jonathan Karl and affirmed that Trump did "exactly what he needed to do."
Watch:
“I think the president did exactly what he needed to do … Gavin Newsom has shown an inability or unwillingness to do what is necessary there, so the president stepped in,” Speaker Johnson tells @JonKarl after Trump deploys California National Guard. https://t.co/XS5Rl4O1po pic.twitter.com/JtuK9TyuHW
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 8, 2025
KARL: Let me start with the news overnight in Los Angeles. The president sends the National Guard troops in. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said that this was 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions' — that they’re not needed; they have the situation under control. Do you have any problem or any concerns about the president sending in the National Guard to a place where local authorities say that they’re not needed and could be harmful?
JOHNSON: I have no concern about that at all. I think the president did exactly what he needed to do. These are federal laws, we have to maintain the rule of law, and that is not what is happening. Gavin Newsom has shown an inability or unwillingness to do what is necessary there, so the president stepped in. That's real leadership, and he has the authority and the responsibility to do it.
KARL: Secretary Hegseth said that active-duty Marines there at Camp Pendleton, there by San Diego, are on high alert and could be mobilized. Could we really see active-duty Marines on the streets of Los Angeles?
JOHNSON: You know, one of our core principles is maintaining peace through strength. We do that on foreign affairs and domestic affairs as well. I don’t think that’s heavy-handed, I think that's an important signal —
KARL: You don't think sending the Marines into the streets of an American city is heavy-handed?
JOHNSON: We have to be prepared to do what is necessary, and I think...the notice that that might happen might have the deterring effect.
Johnson makes a solid point there about the potential deterrent effect. Rather than allowing things to continue spiraling out of control, causing untold damage and risking serious injury — or worse — to law enforcement and civilians alike, much like we saw in the summer of 2020, it's clear that the administration aims to get ahead of this quickly. If would-be rioters know they're going to be met with the National Guard — backed up by the Marines, if necessary — at least the ones with an ounce of sense might think twice. They should.
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