Trump Credits Military, Not L.A. Officials, For Receding Anti-ICE Riots
Charlie Kirk Staff
06/12/2025

The chaos in Los Angeles is finally cooling down, thanks to President Trump, not the local leadership that let it spiral out of control in the first place.
After nearly a week of anti-ICE riots and lawless mayhem in L.A. County, things began to settle Wednesday night. That’s when Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, under pressure and out of options, issued a curfew and gave police the green light to start cracking down.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Bass imposed an 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew for downtown L.A. on both Tuesday and Wednesday. By 6:25 p.m. Wednesday, police had declared the gathering an unlawful assembly. Minutes later, LAPD moved in, firing rubber bullets to scatter the crowd. By 7:30 p.m., the arrests began, and dozens of protesters were rounded up for violating the curfew.
And while the media gave Bass a pat on the back for finally acting, President Trump made it clear who really turned things around.
“Los Angeles was safe and sound for the last two nights,” Trump wrote Thursday morning on social media. “Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job. They all worked well together, but without the Military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years.”
Then he shredded California’s governor.
“Gavin Newsom had totally lost control of the situation,” Trump said. “He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence!!!”
But not everyone wanted to admit the obvious.
L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell went on CBS to downplay the military’s role, claiming the National Guard wasn’t there to help with protests or riot control.
“That’s not our understanding,” McDonnell said. “They have a different mission. They’re working in support of the federal agencies that are working with ICE on civil immigration enforcement and criminal immigration enforcement.”
He added, “We don’t need the National Guard, and they are not here to help us right now.”
But Trump’s message was clear: while the local officials dithered, the federal government acted—and order was restored.