‘Police were asking us to come in': Trump defends sending in the National Guard to LA
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have arrived at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC for the opening of the hit musical 'Les Miserables'.
This comes as anti-ICE protests have spread from Los Angeles to other states across the country.
President Trump spoke to reporters on Wednesday, local time, after being questioned about the protests upon arrival at the Kennedy Center.
'I can tell you that what we have is a situation in Los Angeles that was caused by gross incompetence,' President Trump said.
'The police were asking us to come in ... we had to go in to save a lot of ICE officers, as you know, who were held up, they were held up in a building, and they were being attacked.
'We stopped tremendous destruction and death.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Stealing our friends': LA police break up protests as unrest moves across US
Los Angeles: Police acted more aggressively to disperse protesters after the sixth day of demonstrations in Los Angeles, while rallies over immigration raids continued to spread across the United States and the Trump administration warned it could send troops to other American cities. In LA, which has been the focus of unrest, vandalism and looting since Friday's raids, protesters again gathered outside federal government buildings in the city centre, but they were fewer in number and had mostly left the city ahead of the second night of an 8pm curfew. At 6.30pm, crowds outside City Hall were ordered to disperse, and police began firing rubber bullets and making arrests about 7pm. The few remaining were corralled into a city intersection, arrested and loaded onto a police bus, and by 9pm the streets of central Los Angeles were eerily quiet. Protests popped up in other parts of Los Angeles such as Inglewood, and police were preparing to move to 'full mobilisation' on Saturday ahead of what are expected to be resurgent demonstrations across the United States as President Donald Trump holds a major military parade in Washington. The protests have spread to a string of cities including New York, Seattle, Denver, San Antonio and Chicago. Los Angeles demonstrator Karen Haas, 44, said she expected protests to grow in her city and across the country as long as the immigration raids continued. 'I just think what's happening is despicable and disgusting,' she said in between confronting Homeland Security officers outside a federal building. 'I don't know why we have all these armed officers in our community stealing our friends and our neighbours and our family.' About 600 people have been arrested across the country since the weekend, mostly for failing to leave an area when requested. There have also been a handful of more serious charges, including assault against police officers, and possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said officials would consider lifting the curfew if there were fewer arrests on Wednesday evening (Thursday AEST), saying she hoped that 'Angelenos got the message last night'.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Richard Gere opens up about new life in Spain after quitting US
Richard Gere has hit out at President Donald Trump over his political agenda, claiming he has created a 'violent, crude, and ignorant' world. The Hollywood star, who quit life in the US and relocated to Spain with his wife, Alejandra Silva, 42, and their children, has been outspoken about Mr Trump and his policies that he implemented in the US. 'If each of us were kind to each other, the world would be different and better,' the 75-year-old told El Pais. 'Not all of us respond to wisdom, but we all respond to kindness. 'Even in the case of Trump, I'm sure there is something kind about him. People say he's charming in private. 'Yet the world he's created around himself is violent, crude, and ignorant. Many of the things he's doing we've never seen before.' When asked whether he believes Mr Trump's second term in office could 'irreversibly change the values of US society,' Gere admitted he 'worries' about it — claiming the president is 'cut off from' society's natural sense of empathy. The Golden Globe winner's latest comments come after he slammed Mr Trump as a 'bully and a thug' while accepting the International Goya Award in recognition of his ongoing humanitarian work. 'We're all part of a universe of overlapping pain and sadness and joy. … I see this world that we're in now forgetting that,' he said back in February. 'This very foolish tribalism is starting to take us over, where we think that we're all separate from each other. 'And we have unfortunately elected officials that don't inspire us in the way that we want to be inspired. I'm coming from a place now … we're in a very dark place in America where we have a bully and a thug who is the president of the United States. 'But it's not just in the US, it's everywhere.' Still, Gere admits that there are plenty of things he misses about his life in the US — specifically, the people he left behind, including his adult son, Homer. 'I miss my family and friends. I was just in New York visiting my friends and my oldest son,' he shared. 'We went to Pennsylvania, to the small town where my father and mother came from, and we visited their grave. 'I need to somehow feel connected to my history, to my best friends, to stay in contact with all of it.' Gere moved to the European country with his family in November, after offloading their stunning Connecticut mansion in an off-market deal, Realtor reports. The 'Sommersby' actor noted that watching his wife 'blossoming' in Spain has been reward enough for making the move. The 'Pretty Woman' actor explained that he wanted to return the favour she did for him in upping sticks and joining him in the US when they began their romance. 'Alejandra gave me six or seven years in the US; she dropped everything to be with me and create a life together,' he said. 'But I could see it was important for her to come back, that she really missed her family and friends. She's blossoming here.' Although Gere noted that he has never lived permanently abroad, he said that he has created a sense of belonging in his new Madrid dwelling by ensuring that he has access to the creature comforts he needs most — specifically his 'office, piano, guitars, and books'. 'In a way, I've taken my world and put it here,' he said. While the family has quickly laid down roots in what El Pais described as a 'chalet in the exclusive Madrid neighbourhood of La Moraleja,' Gere's wife noted they are not set on spending the rest of their days in the city. She told the publication they plan to 'stay … for a few years,' describing Madrid as a 'city that has … a very special energy'. However, she has previously revealed the family had always planned to 'come back' to the US. She told the Daily Mail that they were already spending their time going 'back and forth' between the two countries in order to visit their loved ones regularly. 'For a few years [we'll live in Spain], and then come back. But we're always coming back,' she said. 'We'll come back here in the summer because we have the kids at camp. We just have to balance our lives there and here.' The family has retained a home base in the US, despite selling their permanent residence in New Canaan, Connecticut. That home is now set to be torn down in order to make room for a nine-plot subdivision. In his April 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, Gere revealed he planned to keep a property 'in the countryside in New York,' although he hesitated to share specific details about its location.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump offers his support to India following horrific plane crash
United States President Donald Trump has addressed the horrific Air India plane crash. An Air India flight bound for London's Gatwick Airport crashed moments after taking off from the Indian city of Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 242 people, including 53 British nationals, before crashing near Forensic Cross Road outside the city's airport. It has been confirmed that one British citizen has miraculously survived and appears to be the only survivor. President Trump, while speaking to the press in the East Room of the White House, was questioned about the horrific plane crash. Trump, in response, said he offered his support to India, saying, 'Anything we can do … we'll be over there immediately." 'That was a horrible crash, nobody has any idea of what it might be, I gave them a couple of pointers,' Trump said. 'That is a terrible crash, it's one of the worst in aviation history.'
