“United States President Donald Trump has dispatched approximately 4,000 members of the National Guard along with 700 Marines, ostensibly to safeguard federal establishments and officials, following public demonstrations in response to immigration enforcement actions.”
Vice President JD Vance, on the 20th day of June in the year 2025, declared that the multitude of troops stationed in Los Angeles remained essential, despite a week marked by comparative tranquility in the city, which has recently been the scene of considerable public unrest.
President Donald Trump had previously dispatched an estimated four thousand members of the National Guard, alongside seven hundred Marines, with the declared intent of safeguarding federal establishments and personnel, following widespread demonstrations provoked by immigration enforcement actions.
“Regrettably,” Vice President Vance remarked to members of the press assembled in Los Angeles, “the presence of our soldiers and Marines continues to be of grave necessity, as there is a prevailing concern that the disturbances may yet reignite.”
His address came but a day after an appellate court rendered a ruling permitting President Trump to retain command over California’s National Guard—an authority which, under ordinary circumstances, would reside with Governor Gavin Newsom.
Governor Newsom and other officials of the Golden State have levied strong reproach upon President Trump’s militaristic intervention, contending that it has served only to inflame tensions which, they argue, might have been more prudently addressed by local constabularies.
While the majority of the protests remained peaceful and confined to a modest area of the vast metropolis—Los Angeles being the second-largest city in the United States—there were, nevertheless, sporadic episodes of violence and defacement of property.
“If one allows unruly mobs to lay waste to the great cities of our Republic,” said Vance, “then the federal government has not only a right but a solemn duty to act. The president was elected to protect the people—and he shall do so.” He added that President Trump would not hesitate to once more deploy federal forces should the need arise.
The Vice President further assailed Governor Newsom—a man oft mentioned as a prospective candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028—and Mayor Karen Bass, accusing them of emboldening the protestors.
Both Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass have issued unequivocal condemnations of riotous behavior and violence against peace officers, while simultaneously accusing the Trump administration of fabricating a crisis to serve political ends.
In a news conference held the same day, Mayor Bass sharply rebuked Mr. Vance, accusing him of disseminating falsehoods and insisting that it was the city’s own law enforcement that maintained public order.
“How dare you allege that city leaders abetted violence,” she said. “We preserved the peace. The federal forces who arrived were stationed to guard a single federal edifice—they played no part in managing the crowds.”
She further emphasized that, even at the height of the unrest, the number of vandals involved scarcely exceeded a few hundred individuals, many of whom bore no affiliation with the peaceful demonstrators.
“Los Angeles encompasses over 500 square miles,” she noted. “And yet, all of the commotion was confined to a mere 2 square miles. To paint the entire city with that brush is disingenuous and inflammatory.”
Concerning the Incident Involving Senator Padilla
Public outrage has surged across Los Angeles in response to aggressive immigration raids, carried out under President Trump’s directive to expel large numbers of undocumented residents. These actions have drawn widespread condemnation and ignited further protests in other major cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and San Antonio.
Matters grew more contentious when Senator Alex Padilla of California, a Democrat, was reportedly manhandled, handcuffed, and forcibly ejected last week while attempting to pose questions to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press briefing.
Vice President Vance, in referencing the event, erroneously referred to the senator as “Jose Padilla.”
“I had hoped Jose Padilla would grace us with his presence today,” Vance quipped, “but it seems he chose not to appear, as there was no stage for theatrics.”
Mayor Bass responded with visible ire. “How dare you refer to him so disrespectfully, calling him Jose. I suppose, to you, he simply looked like anyone else.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decried the treatment of Senator Padilla, declaring that the episode “reeked of totalitarianism.” Meanwhile, the White House sought to justify the incident by claiming, contrary to widely circulated video evidence, that Padilla had “lunged toward Secretary Noem.”