President Trump told reporters on Sunday that he’s heading to Camp David to meet with military and other leaders, shortly before he posted a message online calling Los Angeles protesters an “insurrectionist mob.”
During a gaggle before boarding Air Force One, Trump would not rule out invoking the Insurrection Act, which could allow the military to be deployed domestically, but he suggested the protests against immigration raids were not yet an insurrection.
“We’re going up to Camp David; we have meetings with various people about very major subjects,” Trump said.
“We’ll be meeting with a lot of people, including generals, as you know, and admirals.”
Trump wouldn’t say what the meetings would be about or whether any foreign officials would be joining.
Shortly after the gaggle, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social claiming that “violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations.”
He said he directed relevant Cabinet officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, “to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots.”
Hegseth on Sunday morning said Marines were ready to be deployed to Los Angeles if needed.
Trump said he had already deployed some 2,000 National Guard members to quell the protests, a move that has drawn criticism from California leaders, who say it’s not necessary and risks adding to the chaos.
The military is generally barred from carrying out domestic law enforcement duties. Declaring the Insurrection Act is seen as a potential path around those restrictions.
Trump took the rare step of federalizing the California National Guard in order to send them into Los Angeles, effectively bypassing Newsom, who typically commands the state forces.
Newsom mocked Trump on Sunday for claiming the National Guard had done a “great job” before any of its members arrived in the city.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said some protesters had spit on law enforcement officers during clashes, which he said would not be tolerated.
“You know they spit, that’s their new thing,” he said. “And when that happens, I have a little statement … they spit, we hit. And I told them, nobody’s going to spit on our police officers. Nobody’s going to spit on our military.”
He said any protester who spits on police or military would “get hit very hard.”
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