Did Trump thank National Guard even before troops reached Los Angeles?
On June 8, United States President Donald Trump praised the California National Guard for its response to Los Angeles immigration enforcement protests.
'Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,' he wrote on Truth Social at 02:41 EDT, Eastern Daylight Time, (06:41 GMT) on Tuesday. He ended the post, 'Thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!'
But the National Guard had not yet arrived in Los Angeles, according to news reports and a spokesperson for the California governor.
The protests in downtown Los Angeles began on June 6 in response to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared the protests an 'unlawful assembly' the same evening and began using tear gas, rubber bullets and other deterrents.
Protests continued throughout the weekend, with reports of vandalism, burning cars and looting. Trump announced on June 7 that he was deploying 2,000 California National Guard members, an action that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, both Democrats, criticised as an unnecessary escalation.
Less than an hour after Trump's Truth Social post, Bass said the National Guard was not on scene. 'Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles,' she wrote on X.
Later that morning, Newsom criticised Trump's post praising the National Guard by pointing out the timeline discrepancy.
'For those keeping track, Donald Trump's National Guard had not been deployed on the ground when he posted this,' Newsom wrote on X.
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a Newsom spokesperson, told PolitiFact the National Guard deployed on June 8 between 02:00 PDT, Pacific Daylight Time, and 04:00 PDT, which is 05:00 EDT to 07:00 EDT (09:00 GMT to 11:00 GMT).
The first media reports of California National Guard troops on the ground in Los Angeles were on June 8 at about 06:00 PDT, or about 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT). Here's what we know about the timeline of California National Guard troop activation and arrival.
00:51 EDT (04:51 GMT): United States Northern Command, a Department of Defense sector that assists with National Guard oversight, said on X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 'directed US Northern Command to assume command of 2,000 California National Guard forces to protect federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area'. The post said active-duty US Marines might also be called to respond.
02:41 EDT (06:41 GMT): Trump praised the National Guard for a 'great job', criticised Newsom and Bass, and described the protests as violent unrest.
03:22 EDT (07:22 GMT): Bass posted on X that the National Guard was not yet present.
04:32 EDT (08:32 GMT): CNN reported it had 'seen no evidence that Guard units are on the ground'.
Between 05:00 EDT and 07:00 EDT (09:00 GMT-11:00 GMT): The National Guard deployed during this timeframe, according to Crofts-Pelayo.
About 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT): The Washington Post reported that the earliest photos and videos of National Guard members arriving in Los Angeles were captured around this time, which was 06:00 PDT, or 09:00 EDT (13:00 GMT).
11:03 EDT (15:03 GMT): US Northern Command reported that members of the California National Guard had arrived in Los Angeles: 'Can confirm that elements of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the California National Guard have begun deploying to the Los Angeles area, with some already on the ground.'
12:07 EDT (16:07 GMT): US Northern Command announced that 300 members of the California National Guard were deployed to three locations in the Los Angeles area.
12:08 EDT (16:08 GMT): The California National Guard members gathered near the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown LA, the Los Angeles Times reported.
12:17 EDT (16:17 GMT): The LAPD announced that the National Guard had been deployed to federal facilities.
About 13:30 EDT (17:30 GMT): The New York Times reported that at 10:30 PDT, 'nearly 300 members of the California Guard took positions at three different sites around the city'.
KABC-TV, a local news channel, reported that National Guard members had appeared in downtown Los Angeles and posted video of troops driving through the city of Paramount.
12:29 EDT (18:29 GMT): US Northern Command posted photos of California National Guard members in LA, working with the Department of Homeland Security.
17:06 EDT (21:06 GMT): Trump said he directed federal agencies to coordinate their response to the Los Angeles protests.
18:27 EDT (22:27 GMT): Newsom posted that he 'formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to [his] command'.
20:03 EDT (00:03 GMT): US Northern Command shared a press release on X announcing that approximately 2,000 members of the California National Guard had been 'placed under federal command' to be ready to assist in efforts against LA protests. It reiterated that 300 members of the California Army National Guard were deployed at three locations.
22:23 EDT (02:23 GMT): Newsom said in an MSNBC interview that he would file a lawsuit against Trump for taking over the California National Guard.
PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
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