'Somebody's paying them': Donald Trump says Los Angeles protests are being funded; watch video
LA protesters are 'Paid insurrectionists', says Donald Trump
US President
Donald Trump
on Tuesday made a bold claim that the violent demonstrations in Los Angeles are being funded.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said, "Somebody's financing it.
We're going to find out through [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice who it is.
"
The president described the unrest in Los Angeles as a "full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty," and said those involved were not ordinary citizens but "paid insurrectionists."
"These are paid troublemakers. They're agitators. They're paid," Trump repeated.
Trump claimed that something so large in scale and resource-heavy during the protests must have been planned.
"Do you think somebody walks up to a kerb and starts hammering pieces out, has all the equipment necessary and starts handing it out to people to use as a weapon?" the MAGA chief said.
This statement followed Trump's decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 US Marines to the streets of Los Angeles after days of violent protests sparked by federal immigration raids. The president said the military deployment was necessary to protect federal assets, while critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and accused him of escalating tensions.
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"It's common sense... when there's no danger they'll leave. You would have had a horrible situation unless I sent them," Trump said. "You'd be reporting on a lot of death and a lot of destruction."
However, California officials say the federal response has worsened the situation. Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in downtown LA, citing looting of 23 businesses and widespread property damage.
Newsom, who has taken legal action to block the deployment, said, "Trump is turning the US military against American citizens. The courts must immediately block these illegal actions."
A separate controversy erupted when Trump claimed to have spoken with Newsom to tell him to "do a better job". The governor denied any such conversation took place, saying, "There was no call. Not even a voicemail."
Trump later accused Newsom of lying and showed Fox News a call log indicating a 16-minute call took place on June 7, not June 9 as he had earlier claimed, reports the Telegraph.
Meanwhile, journalists covering the protests have reported being tear-gassed, shot with rubber bullets, or briefly detained. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the treatment of reporter Lauren Tomasi, calling her experience "horrific."
Trump is reportedly using the protests to promote his immigration bill in Congress, with aides describing the moment as a political opportunity to rally support.
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