President Donald Trump did not entirely rule out sending Marines to quell protests erupting in Los Angeles, telling reporters the bar for approving the move is “what I think it is.”
“We’re going to have troops everywhere,” Trump replied when asked by a reporter if he planned on sending more troops to Los Angeles. “We’re not going to let this happen to our country. We’re not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.”
When probed on what the bar was for sending Marines, Trump replied, “The bar is what I think it is.”
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“If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, I will be very, very strong in terms of law and order. It’s about law and order,” he continued. “We’ll send whatever we need to make sure there’s law and order.”
In an X post Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly noted that active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton were “on high alert” and would also be mobilized “if violence continues.”
On Sunday, the U.S. Northern Command issued a press release confirming that “approximately 500 Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, are in a prepared to deploy status should they be necessary to augment and support the DoD’s protection of federal property and personnel efforts.”
Protests first erupted in Los Angeles on Friday in retaliation against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Crowds continued to gather over the weekend with scenes of violence, tear gas, and flash-bangs being reported on Saturday and Sunday.
The president signed a memorandum Saturday ordering the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to curb clashes between protestors and authorities—a move California Governor Gavin Newsom called “purposely inflammatory“ and said “will only escalate tensions.”
Around 300 members of the National Guard arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. The outlet adds that tear gas was thrown outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles following confrontations between demonstrators and members of the guard.
