By [topicbridge7.com] | June 8, 2025
Clashes between protesters and federal agents erupted in Los Angeles this weekend following U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that sparked citywide demonstrations. Former President Donald Trump responded with strong rhetoric and the deployment of federal forces — reviving a controversial quote linked to civil unrest in America’s past.
Trump, speaking via Truth Social on Saturday evening ahead of his attendance at a UFC match, blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for what he described as a failure to maintain law and order. He warned of a federal crackdown on what he called “riots and looters,” though there has been no confirmed evidence of looting at the protests.
“If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs… then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” Trump wrote, using a mocking misspelling of the governor’s name.
The protests, centered around the Los Angeles Federal Building, erupted after reports that ICE detainees were being held there. Sporadic clashes were also reported elsewhere in the city as agents conducted raids on businesses and residences.
Trump’s remarks drew immediate comparisons to his infamous 2020 tweet during the George Floyd protests, where he declared: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” The phrase, which drew widespread condemnation at the time, originated from Miami Police Chief Walter Headley in 1967 during a crackdown on Black civil rights protesters.
Though Trump avoided using the phrase verbatim this time, the underlying message and tone were unmistakable — and troubling to critics who see his language as incendiary and authoritarian.
In a swift move Saturday night, Trump signed a memorandum deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the deployment as a necessary step to restore order.
“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when aimed at law enforcement officers,” Leavitt said. “These criminals will be arrested and swiftly brought to justice.”
However, California’s Democratic leadership criticized the action as political theater.
Governor Gavin Newsom denounced the deployment, tweeting: “The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don’t give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.”
Images from the ground, including a burning car in Compton and motorcycle protests, flooded social media as tensions escalated. Whether this will intensify or de-escalate remains uncertain, but the return of Trump’s combative language has already reignited old national wounds — and questions about what a second Trump presidency could look like.