Trump won't allow mob rule in America, says White House amid LA unrest

India Today

a day ago

US President Donald Trump 'will never allow mob rule to prevail in America,' the White House said on Wednesday, following escalating protests in Los Angeles sparked by the administration's aggressive immigration enforcement operations.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking at a press briefing, said President Trump remains firmly committed to upholding law and order in the face of what she described as organized unrest. 'The most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order, and this administration embraces that sacred responsibility,' she said, as images of burning vehicles and masked demonstrators were displayed during the briefing.advertisementThe unrest follows a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids carried out in Los Angeles last week, a city governed by Democrats, which has long opposed Trump's immigration agenda.
Though many protests were peaceful, several incidents of violence, including the torching of self-driving taxis and clashes with police, prompted a militarized response.Tear gas and other non-lethal methods were deployed, and President Trump authorized the National Guard to intervene, a rare move in recent decades.Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sharply criticized the deployment, calling it excessive and politically motivated. In response, Leavitt accused both leaders of dereliction of duty. 'Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens,' she said, also alleging that Newsom had 'fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers.'advertisementPresident Trump, speaking Tuesday at Fort Bragg military base, promised to 'liberate' Los Angeles, intensifying tensions with California's Democratic leadership.The administration has also raised concerns about the organization behind the protests. Trump referred to some demonstrators as 'paid insurrectionists' equipped with professional anti-riot gear, a claim Leavitt said is under investigation. 'It's a good question the president is raising, and one we are looking into, about who is funding these insurrectionists,' she told news agency AFP.Nationwide backlash is intensifying as the fast-growing 'No Kings' protest movement prepares for a massive, coordinated demonstration on June 14, coinciding with both a pro-Trump parade in Washington, DC, and the president's 79th birthday. Organizers estimate that nearly 3 million people could flood streets in cities across the country in what they describe as a unified stand against authoritarianism.In response, the White House remains defiant. 'President Trump will never allow mobs to take over the United States,' Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, signaling no intention to yield to mounting public pressure.With inputs from agenciesTune InMust Watch