LA billionaire sides with protesters amid riots
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Conservatives have slammed former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso after he broke ranks with Donald Trump over the violence in his city. Caruso, who came second to LA Mayor Karen Bass in 2022 and has been a staunch critic of California's far-left leaders, surprised many as he used X to defend migrants and criticize Trump for sending in the military to combat the riots.
'There is no emergency, widespread threat, or out of control violence in Los Angeles,' Caruso said in a post on Sunday. The billionaire slammed Trump for deploying the National Guard to quash the protests, saying there is 'absolutely no danger that justifies' their presence. In a separate post, Caruso took the side of illegal immigrants being targeted by Trump's immigration policies, saying those that entered illegally but have been in the US for years should be allowed to stay.
'It's time to do what is right for our country and state. Undocumented people who are here for a number of years have been contributing to our communities and economy, and have no criminal record deserve a pathway to citizenship,' he said. 'I encourage our leaders to have a meaningful discussion to make this a reality.' The posts were quickly met with a wave of backlash.
Caruso ran as a Democrat for the mayoralty in Los Angeles, but has often sided with Trump and attacked California leaders in recent times. Earlier this year, he was one of the the leading voices against Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom when wildfires tore through Los Angeles. Caruso likened the city to a 'third-world country' and said repeatedly that Bass and Newsom 'absolutely mismanaged' the crisis.
Many expected him to bash Newsom again amid this new crisis - but were stunned by his response. 'Didn't see that one coming from Caruso,' one X user said. Caruso also took aim at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's controversial decision last week to remove the name of LGBT icon Harvey Milk from a Navy ship, branding the move 'shameful.'
When Caruso previously ran for office in Los Angeles, he was seen by many as a centrist candidate who won support from conservatives in the typically blue city. But Caruso continued breaking ranks with conservatives that had previously supported him even after his X posts sparked backlash. On Monday, he told LA Morning News that he stood by his remarks on Trump's handling of the situation, but walked back some of his support for protesters.
'What I said in that post, it may incite, because what you do have in Los Angeles, unfortunately, you've got agitators, you've got professional protesters that just want a reason to get out there and riot and cause a problem,' he said. 'And we've had a culture in this city, unfortunately, of not holding people accountable, and people were not arrested, and those that were, were released.' Caruso said deploying the National Guard was a mistake and insisted that the LAPD could handle the situation.
'What are we gonna do? We're gonna default to National Guard because we can't patrol ourselves and take care of ourselves? That makes no sense,' he said. 'We have to have a strong LAPD with the right protocols, but also the right enforcement protocols to hold people accountable.' Caruso's real estate company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the backlash he has received.
His comments come as Los Angeles authorities prepare for a fourth night of violence in the city as protesters continue to clash with cops. On Monday night, the riots took an ominous turn as a mystery donor was seen dropping off tactical war-time face shields for protesters in a sign that the chaos is nowhere near over.
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