As protests in Los Angeles showed signs of calming earlier this week, President Trump shifted his approach to the unrest that had rocked the city over the weekend. It seems, hopefully, that the worst of the chaos is behind us, and consequently, the tone from the administration has softened.
Over Saturday and Sunday, Trump, along with senior officials at the White House, labeled the protesters as “rebels.” Vice President JD Vance categorized the mobs from the weekend as “insurrections,” suggesting that they were attacking immigrant leaders while many in the political sphere were neglecting border security.
Thanks to Trump’s swift decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to support local law enforcement, the violence in Los Angeles has significantly decreased. It remains to be seen how officials like Mayor Karen Bass, Governor Gavin Newsom, and other Democratic leaders will react to federal troops being sent against their wishes, although there are signs that Trump is open to pursuing diplomatic solutions in the wake of the unrest.
Interestingly, prior to the levels of violence we witnessed over the weekend, Republican leaders were already considering their options should the situation deteriorate further. Some were referencing the Rebellion Act of 1807, which allows the President to mobilize militias to contain rebellion. Although, it’s worth noting that this act wasn’t explicitly invoked when the National Guard was sent.
Speculation has emerged—particularly from former national security adviser Denver Rigruman—suggesting that the repeated use of the term “riot” by GOP figures might be a way to set the stage for employing the Rebellion Act if necessary.
Some analyses, including pieces from the New York Times, have raised the point that if the law were cited, Trump could potentially be in a “strong legal position.” This is primarily because courts tend to avoid defining the boundaries of what constitutes rebellion, leaving much to the President’s discretion.
However, given the positive outcomes from deploying the National Guard and Marines, the need for such measures may have dissipated. After all, it seems that the most chaotic events might just be behind us. Indeed, Trump recently moderated his initial comments from the weekend.
“I wouldn’t categorize it as a pretty uprising, but it could have turned into one,” he noted on Monday. “There was significant harm taking place last night.”
On Monday morning, Trump acknowledged the seriousness of the recent violence in Los Angeles, referencing the possible destruction that could have occurred without intervention: “Had they not intervened for these past three nights, the once-beautiful city would have been in ruins by now.” He also criticized the responses from Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom as “disastrous.”
This last remark seems to have been deleted and is no longer visible on his Truth Social profile.
