‘Existential moment for American democracy': The Weeknight panel responds to Trump's National Guard order
The state of California is suing the Trump administration for deploying the state's National Guard to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles. MSNBC Political Analyst Cornell Belcher and Patrick Gaspard of the Center for American Progress join The Weeknight to discuss Trump's military response to the L.A. protests.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump on Insurrection Act: ‘I would certainly invoke it'
President Trump on Tuesday said he would 'certainly' invoke the Insurrection Act to respond to the demonstrations on the streets of Los Angeles over his immigration policies, if he deemed the move necessary. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible.' When asked what would lead him to decide an insurrection is taking place, Trump said that in certain areas of Los Angeles last night 'you could have called it an insurrection. It was terrible.' The president had previously suggested he's open to invoking the Insurrection Act, which is a power used sparingly in U.S. history that allows for the use of the military to quell a rebellion. He made the decision to send in the National Guard to Los Angeles without a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in an unprecedented move to respond to protests of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids. He told reporters on Sunday, 'depends on whether or not there's an insurrection' when asked about invoking the law. 'We're just going to see what happens. If we think there's a serious insurrection … we're going to have law and order,' he said. When asked what the bar would be for sending in the Marines, Trump said, 'The bar is what I think it is.' By Monday, 700 active-duty Marines were sent to Los Angeles. As of Monday, a total of 4,000 California National Guard troops were sent in. The Pentagon estimates the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to the California city will cost around $134 million, the Defense Department's acting comptroller said Tuesday. The president said on Tuesday he would keep the National Guard in place 'until there is no danger' and he also insisted that some demonstrators in Los Angeles are paid insurrectionists. Trump had flirted with the idea of using the Insurrection Act during the 2020 protests over police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in his first term in office. And, he referenced the possibility of doing so during the campaign in the event of protests against his victory, saying he would do so in Democrat-run states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Newsom should thank him for ‘saving his a‑‑'
President Trump said Thursday morning that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) should be thanking him for sending in the National Guard and Marines to respond to demonstrations on the streets of Los Angeles over the president's immigration policies. The president suggested that the situation in Los Angeles had improved, touting the help of the 700 Marines and more than 4,000 National Guard troops he had sent to the city without a request from the governor. 'Los Angeles was safe and sound for the last two nights. Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job. They all worked well together, but without the Military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years,' Trump said on Truth Social. He continued, 'Governor Gaven NewScum had totally lost control of the situation. He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his a‑‑, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!' The president has accused Newsom of being afraid to act during the protests against the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids while the White House maintains local officials were weak during the demonstrations, forcing the president to step in. Newsom attempted for a judge to limit Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles, but his demand for an immediate intervention was rejected, and a hearing is set for Thursday before the judge will rule on the governor's emergency motion. Newsom has repeatedly hit back at Trump's moves, with the motion seeking to limit Trump's National Guard deployment stating: 'Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California. They must be stopped, immediately.' Trump said Tuesday he would keep the National Guard in place 'until there is no danger,' and he insisted with no evidence that some demonstrators in Los Angeles are paid insurrectionists. He has said he would 'certainly' invoke the Insurrection Act if he deems an insurrection is taking place. The Pentagon estimates the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to the California city will cost around $134 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Snaps at Fox News Reporter Who Tells Him Protests Are Spreading
The president was caught off guard by news that anti-ICE protests exist outside of Los Angeles. Posing for photos with his wife, Melania Trump, on the Kennedy Center's red carpet Wednesday evening, Donald Trump refused to believe that dissent against his anti-immigration agenda had spread to more than a dozen cities around the country. 'If this turns into another summer of unrest, what are you prepared to do, sir?' asked a Fox News reporter. 'About what?' Trump said. 'Well, the protests have spread now to 16 cities across the U.S.,' she added. 'That's what you're saying, and do I believe you? I don't think so,' Trump said. 'Well, I got that from the Fox News brain room,' the reporter clarified. But Trump wouldn't address the national reaction. Instead, he was fixated on recalling how his administration had forcibly intervened in the Los Angeles protests—without the express authorization of the California or city government. 'What we have is a situation in Los Angeles that was caused by gross incompetence,' Trump said. 'They didn't have the police to handle it. The police were asking us to come in. They were very late, we had to go in to save a lot of ICE officers, as you know, who were holed up. They were holed up in a building.' But the Los Angeles Police Department did not request Trump's aid. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell denied that he had asked the White House for help in handling the protests, telling CNN that the department was 'nowhere near' calling on assistance from the National Guard. So far, anti-ICE protests have taken root from coast to coast. By Tuesday, NBC News accounted for at least 25 protests in cities across the country, with gatherings in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, Raleigh, Columbus, Oklahoma City, Washington, and others. The mass mobilization against Trump's agenda and his illegal decisions to send hundreds of Marines and thousands of National Guard members to Los Angeles's doorstep echoes the civil unrest during the ex–reality TV star's first administration, when an estimated 26 million Americans participated in the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. Those protests, which amounted to the largest protest movement in American history, were in direct reaction to police brutality against Black people following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, and countless others. But the recent wave of protests have already transformed into a symbolic rejection of Trump's authoritarian leanings. In an address to his state and to the nation, California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Americans to 'stand up' to the White House's aggressive and militaristic control, announcing that democracy is 'under assault' under Trump's leadership.
