What we know about Trump deploying National Guard for LA protests
In June 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to be mobilized to quell protests in Los Angeles, despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections. In a June 8 post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the troops had been successful even though the troops had not yet been deployed on the ground at the time of his post.
Spokespeople for Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said bringing in the National Guard would generate more chaos and that the LAPD had already been de-escalating situations in the region. Meanwhile, the Trump administration blamed Newsom for violence and chaos in the city.
Footage and images from the protests showed people mocking the troops — deployed on June 8 — while some reports said the military presence sowed more fear and anger among demonstrators. Protests on June 7 for the most part had been peaceful.
It is rare for a president to mobilize the National Guard without the express request of the governor of the state. The last time this happened was in 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights protesters, circumventing the segregationist governor at the time.
In early June 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a series of raids across the Los Angeles, California, area, resulting in days of protests. Individuals clashed with local law enforcement, but controversy arose when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. National Guard into the city, despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections.
Protests began on June 6 when people gathered in Los Angeles' Fashion District and at the Los Angeles Federal Building in response to immigration raids by ICE. That week, more than a 100 immigrant arrests had taken place in the city. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) federal agents were present to disperse the crowds.
But Trump's order to bring the National Guard into Los Angeles that weekend to quell the protests generated anger and resistance from both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who said the arrival of the troops would sow more chaos in the city.
Below, we put together a timeline of the National Guard's deployment and actions, as well as orders from Trump, Newsom, and local authorities. We reached out to the Trump administration, Newsom's office, Bass' office, the National Guard and the LAPD to determine details of the events on the ground and have included their responses below.
On Saturday, June 7, around 6 p.m. Pacific Time, Trump signed a memorandum ordering 2,000 National Guard personnel to Los Angeles in order to protect federal officers conducting immigration raids in the city. At 11:41 p.m. Pacific Time that night, Trump thanked the National Guard for "a job well done" in Los Angeles.
However, the National Guard had not been deployed on the ground yet. At 12:22 a.m. Pacific Time on June 8, Bass posted on X: "I want to thank LAPD and local law enforcement for their work tonight. [...] Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles."
In a June 8 interview with MSNBC, Newsom said: "[Trump] completely lied. He said in a tweet, that everything's now safe, everything's fine. Is that the case, Mr. Trump? He said because he deployed the National Guard. The guard hadn't even been deployed when he said this. It's Orwellian."
A spokesperson for the National Guard told us it deployed troops in Los Angeles on June 8. Per a press release, they began with 300 troops on the ground in three locations across the region — Los Angeles, nearby Compton, and Paramount — with around 500 Marines "prepared" to deploy, as well. A June 8 post on the Guard's official X account showed pictures of the deployed troops:
A spokesperson from the mayor's office told us over email: "The National Guard did not arrive in the City of Los Angeles until Sunday morning. Statements from the administration that the National Guard were in the City of Los Angeles on Saturday are false."
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson at Newsom's office, also told us over email, "The National Guard had not deployed until 0200-0400 [a.m.] Sunday, July 8 at three sites around Los Angeles. 300 National Guard soldiers were deployed on the ground."
At 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, those 300 troops took their positions at three different sites around the city.
The military said on June 9 that it would be adding 2,000 more troops to the ones already in Los Angeles. Some 700 Marines were also activated by the U.S. military. Per a press release:
As of today, June 9th 2025, there are approximately 1700 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a California National Guard unit in a Title 10 status, in the greater Los Angeles Area.
The activation of the Marines is intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency.
On the afternoon of June 9, Newsom posted on X:
I was just informed Trump is deploying another 2,000 Guard troops to L.A.
The first 2,000? Given no food or water. Only approx. 300 are deployed — the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders.
This isn't about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego.
This is Reckless. Pointless. And Disrespectful to our troops.
In sum, as of this writing, the total number of National Guard troops present in Los Angeles, nearby Compton, and Paramount, was around 4,000. Some 2,100 troops were mobilized on Sunday and an additional 2,000 were mobilized on Monday, June 9. Furthermore, 700 Marines were also mobilized to support the National Guard. However, per Newsom's X post from June 9, only 300 of the original 2,000 troops were active on the ground in Los Angeles and neighboring cities.
We previously reported on authentic photographs of soldiers deployed to the Los Angeles protests in June 2025 sleeping on the floor.
A National Guard spokesperson told us its troops were only deployed to protect federal personnel and property in the greater Los Angeles area. The mayor's office emphasized to us in an email that the LAPD and local law enforcement had already been keeping the city safe.
According to Bass and Newsom, the National Guard's arrival only worsened the protests in Los Angeles. The mayor's spokesperson said, "[Bass] has been clear that the deployment of the federalized National Guard has been a chaotic escalation on the heels of raids that have caused fear in our communities."
Crofts-Pelayo, Newsom's spokesperson, told us that the LAPD "successfully de-escalated" on June 7 without any need for federal troops. The press office also shared a post from June 8, claiming that in one instance, LAPD "had to protect the Guard."
Newsom posted on X that the troops' arrival would only "incite violence" and announced he would sue Trump in court for sending the guard without his permission.
We requested a response from the White House to Newsom's claims. Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the administration, told us over email:
The only thing that 'caused chaos' is Gavin Newsom's feckless leadership. He is directly responsible for the violent riots and attacks on federal law enforcement. After Gavin Newsom failed to stop the violence, President Trump rightfully stepped in to protect American citizens and restore law and order.
According to news reports on the ground, before Trump's authorization the protests were mostly peaceful. Some reports and images showed people clashing with law enforcement in Compton and Paramount on June 7. However, an LAPD press release that night announced that demonstrations remained "peaceful," and that the day concluded "without incident."
Reports found that on June 8, the day the National Guard arrived, clashes increased and police deployed tear gas to disperse protesters. Reports showed protesters taunting the National Guard, with words like "shame" and "go home," indicating that they were not welcome in the city. Video showed police firing tear gas at protesters as around two dozen National Guard personnel put on masks. The troops and police appeared to be working together in that footage.
Per The Associated Press, on June 8, the "arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents."
On the evening of June 8, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told journalists that while he wouldn't have called the troops, "looking at the violence today, I think we've got to make a reassessment." However, by June 9, McDonnell held a news conference about the military deployment and said they were on "two parallel tracks that don't work together, if you will." He added that the deployment of Marines would be a "significant operational and logistical challenge."
While rare, the guard can be deployed without a governor's permission. Usually National Guard troops are deployed for emergencies and natural disasters and at the request of governors of various affected states. In this case, Newsom did not request the guard and instead called Trump's orders to deploy a "complete overreaction" that was "purposely inflammatory and will only escalate tensions."
The last time troops were deployed without a governor's permission in the U.S. was in 1965, according to The New York Times. President Lyndon Johnson bypassed the governor of Alabama to send the National Guard into the state in order to protect civil rights demonstrators against violence. Gov. George Wallace, a prominent segregationist, refused to issue orders to the National Guard himself, as he did not want to be seen supporting the protesters.
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"Gov. Newsom Tells President Trump to 'stand down' amid L.A. Protests." YouTube, MSNBC, 9 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOA3zvgTQKs&t=301s. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"L.A. Protesters Clash with Officers as National Guard Presence Draws Pushback." The Washington Post, 10 June 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/06/09/la-protests-ice-national-guard/. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"LAPD Chief Speaks out about Deployment of Military Forces to Anti-ICE Protests." YouTube, CBS News, 9 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwPTj4LU-lw. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"National Guard Troops in LA, the Latest in Long History of Deployments during Civil Rights Protests." AP News, 9 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-national-guard-protests-watts-riots-ce79302269291672444e34ab8ab4563a. Accessed 10 June 2025.
Peters, Jeremy W. "1965 Was the Last Time a President Bypassed a Governor to Deploy the National Guard." The New York Times, 8 June 2025. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/lbj-national-guard-alabama-1965.html. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"Protests Intensify in Los Angeles after Trump Deploys Hundreds of National Guard Troops." AP News, 8 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/immigration-protests-raids-los-angeles-78eaba714dbdd322715bf7650fb543d7. Accessed 10 June 2025.
Rojas, Rick, et al. "Tensions Flare Between Protesters and Law Enforcement in L.A." The New York Times, 8 June 2025. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/09/us/la-protests-immigration-ice-trump. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"Trump Deploys California National Guard to LA to Quell Protests despite the Governor's Objections." AP News, 7 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/immigration-raids-los-angeles-2d1d5e2f638da600c4b34fe8bf8cf3aa. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"Trump Administration Mobilizing 2,000 More National Guard Troops for Los Angeles Protests." CBS News. 9 June 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-mobilizing-2000-more-national-guard-troops-for-los-angeles-protests/. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"USNORTHCOM Statement on Additional Military Personnel in the Los Angeles Area." U.S. Northern Command, 9 June 2025, https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/4210889/usnorthcom-statement-on-additional-military-personnel-in-the-los-angeles-area/. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"USNORTHCOM Statement Regarding Protection of Federal Property and Personnel in the Los Angeles Area." U.S. Northern Command, 8 June 2025, https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/4209228/usnorthcom-statement-regarding-protection-of-federal-property-and-personnel-in/. Accessed 10 June 2025.
"What to Know about Trump's Deployment of the Marines and National Guard to LA's Immigration Protests." AP News, 8 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/insurrection-act-trump-troops-newsom-military-national-guard-a842f79e1c0e244039be274a6f266a7a. Accessed 10 June 2025.
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