Trump says federal troops ‘saved’ Los Angeles and made 2028 Olympics possible

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has linked federal security actions and the deployment of the National Guard to the successful hosting of major international sporting events in the United States, including the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Trump's comments come amid a wave of scrutiny over federal enforcement tactics nationwide, following the recent fatal shootings of two Americans by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis during an enforcement operation in January. Those incidents sparked widespread protests and a significant reduction in the deployment of ICE and Border Patrol personnel in the city.

Trump and federal security claims on Los Angeles and the Olympics

President Donald Trump spoke with NBC News on Wednesday, February 4, in an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas, where he discussed preparations for upcoming Olympic Games to be held in the United States. In the interview, Trump emphasized the role of the National Guard and federal troops in maintaining order and ensuring the Games could take place.

Trump said, “We’ve done a great job everywhere, the only place there’s been a little inflammation” was not Minnesota and that Los Angeles had also been handled effectively. He stated that unrest began before his term and continued into it, asserting that federal intervention was decisive.

“Well, I saved Los Angeles,” Trump said, adding that without deploying the National Guard and troops, “you wouldn’t have the Olympics, which I got. I got the Olympics.”

Trump continued by quoting a top law enforcement officer who said that without presidential action, the state would have been lost. “You know what? I saved Los Angeles,” Trump said, adding, “And we will do it again if we have to.”

He also pledged that both the Olympics and the upcoming FIFA World Cup would be “very safe.” Trump previously established a task force for the Olympic Games through an executive order signed at the White House in August.

Trump will serve as chair of the task force, with Vice President JD Vance as vice chair.

Gavin Newsom response to Trump's federal action

California Governor Gavin Newsom has sharply criticized federal enforcement actions under the Trump administration. Newsom denounced sweeping immigration raids across Los Angeles and other cities, citing arrests of kitchen staff at the San Diego restaurant Buona Forchetta last May as an early example.

As the ICE surge escalated, public demonstrations followed, prompting a federal crackdown. “We saw the federalization of the National Guard, hundreds of millions of dollars wasted of taxpayer money,” Newsom said.

His comments came as the Department of Homeland Security began drawing down “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis, where ICE officers fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month. Newsom lamented that the operation’s leader, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, was subsequently sent back to California.

According to a DHS official, Bovino was removed from his position as Border Patrol “commander at large” and reassigned to his former role in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon.

The Trump administration also announced Wednesday that 700 federal officers will be pulled from Minnesota following a weeks-long immigration enforcement operation in the state, a decision that White House border czar Tom Homan said came after “productive talks” with state and local leaders.