Newsom disputes Trump’s LA claim, says POTUS praised troops before they were deployed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: California Gov Gavin Newsom pushed back against President Donald Trump’s recent claim that federal troops “saved Los Angeles.”

Trump made the remarks at an event in Washington, DC, saying his intervention brought law and order to the city. But Newsom argued that the timeline proves otherwise.

Donald Trump claims troops 'saved Los Angeles' during unrest

While speaking at the Museum of the Bible, Trump said, “And even the Democrats—I can’t believe it, but they don’t want to admit it, but I can believe it. We could do the same thing in Chicago, New York. Los Angeles. We did it. We saved Los Angeles.”

He added, “Los Angeles was a mess. If we didn’t send our troops in, Gavin Newscum would have had a real problem. We sent our troops. The head police officer, the top person, said, ‘We could have never done this alone.’”

Trump continued, “We sent our troops right in at the beginning, and we killed it. And it was nasty, but we killed it immediately, immediately. And I don’t know why Chicago isn’t calling us saying, ‘Please give us help,’ when you have, over just a short period of time, 50 murders and hundreds of people shot, and then you have a governor that stands up and says how crime is just fine. It’s really crazy. But we’re bringing back law and order to our country."

Gavin Newsom fact-checks timeline of National Guard deployment

Newsom’s office responded directly to Trump’s claim.

“REMINDER: At 11:41 pm PT on June 7, Trump praised the National Guard in LA,” the governor’s office wrote in response to a clip of Trump’s comments on X.

“Problem: THEY WEREN’T DEPLOYED ON THE GROUND YET! Trump was actually crediting the state & local response he now trashes! Why doesn’t the president remember where he’s sending troops or when they got somewhere???” the statement read.

Trump had posted on Truth Social at 2:41 am EDT on June 8, writing, “Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest. Thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!”

But as Newsom pointed out, 300 members of the California National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team did not arrive until 9 am that day.

LAPD chief clarifies no request was made for National Guard

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell later confirmed that his department had not sought National Guard assistance. “No, we were not in a position to request the National Guard,” McDonnell told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

He explained the process, saying, “We have a protocol that we work up through. First, we bring in all internal resources to bear on the issue… Then, we mobilize the department… If we don’t have the capacity… then through the Sheriff we request mutual aid."

McDonnell added, “We’re at that level now and we’re nowhere near a level where we would be reaching out to the governor for National Guard at this stage.”

Internet reacts as Trump’s LA claim sparks debate

Many online users weighed in after Trump’s comments.

“He praised the work they're doing and their willingness to help clean up our cities. This is so pathetic,” wrote one user on X.

Another user said, “The world was watching your state crash out... The guard was needed. Police had no control over the situation.”

Some were more critical of Trump’s remarks. “He's become so senile, he can barely read his teleprompter anymore,” wrote one user. Another added, “Trump doesn't know what he's talking about.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.