Donald Trump is trying to turn Los Angeles into a battlefield. Late last week, Angelenos organized widespread protests to ICE and the fascist, terrifying “raids” being conducted in LA. Over the weekend, Trump responded to the protests by sending in the National Guard against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump’s people also threatened to arrest Gov. Newsom, but the Trumpers have seemingly backed down from that threat. Trump has also sent in about 700 Marines to deal with the LA protests for some reason, all of which is a direct violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. Because Trump and his people are so half-assed, they didn’t even consider where all of these National Guardsmen and Marines were going to sleep, eat, shower or poop.
President Donald Trump’s rush to deploy California National Guard troops to Los Angeles has left dozens of soldiers without adequate sleeping arrangements, forced to pack together in one or more federal buildings, resting on the floors of what appear to be basements or loading docks, the Chronicle has learned.
The state troops federalized by the Trump administration over the weekend to confront immigration protesters, without the approval of Gov. Gavin Newsom, were “wildly underprepared,” said a person directly involved with the deployment, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the issue.
The troops — whose makeshift quarters are shown in photographs exclusively obtained by the Chronicle — arrived without federal funding for food, water, fuel, equipment or lodging, said the source, who was granted confidentiality under Chronicle policies. This person said state officials and the California National Guard were not to blame.
“This is what happens when the president and (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) demand the National Guard state assets deploy immediately with no plan in place … (and) no federal funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging,” the source said. “This is really the failure of the federal government. If you’re going to federalize these troops, then take care of them.”
Senior military leaders advised Monday that the California troops could continue sleeping on floors or outdoors until Thursday, at which point federal officials would decide whether to make more permanent lodging plans, the source said. By Monday afternoon, additional National Guard troops were expected to reach Los Angeles, upping the total from around 300 late Saturday to more than 2,100. It was unclear where the new arrivals would stay at night, the source said, with only a few hundred available tents.
“Currently, there is no plan for where everyone is sleeping tonight,” the source said, adding that there was an urgent need to find more portable bathrooms and dumpsters for garbage.
[From San Francisco Chronicle]
Who would have thought that a senile, draft-dodging coward (Trump) and a drunk moron (Hegseth) would have been so unprepared to house, feed and support the military? You know who can breathe easier today? Greenland! How can America “invade” Greenland if the National Guard don’t have anywhere to sleep or shower IN CALIFORNIA? Honestly though, this whole thing is disgusting. Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are too weak and pathetic to support the American military.
You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep.
Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another.
If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/4i8VIiYZLr pic.twitter.com/sUYD2KHu6O
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense United States Secretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth testifies at his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, D.C. Featuring: United States Secretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 14 Jan 2025 Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
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- President Donald Trump returns to the White House after a trip to Florida Featuring: President Donald Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 04 May 2025 Credit: Chris Kleponis/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States President Donald J Trump, accompanied by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, announces he has selected the path forward for his ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC Featuring: Donald J Trump, Pete Hegseth Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 20 May 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, speaks as US Secretary of the Interior and Chair, National Energy Council and White House Energy Czar Doug Burgum, center, listens after US President Donald J Trump signed an executive order regarding nuclear energy in the Oval Office of the White House on May 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Trump signed a total of five executive orders aimed at easing restrictions and expanding the nuclear energy industry. Featuring: Pete Hegseth, Doug Burgum, Donald J Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 23 May 2025 Credit: Samuel Corum/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States President Donald J Trump participates in a swearing-in ceremony for Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US Featuring: Donald J Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 27 Apr 2025 Credit: Chris Kleponis/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
Why not just force LA residents to house them, since we are repealing the American Revolution and getting a king?
They are being ready to deploy. There isn’t much around the Federal detention center, except another jail, and the train station. It’s mostly industrial area. The closest area is Boyle Heights (heavily Latino community). So, that would be unlikely.
Ooh, if he tries, we’d get to argue that he violated the rarely invoked 3rd Amendment to the Constitition.
LA here.
They’re sending 2000 marines, with the potential for 2000 more. Meanwhile, LA protests have been calm and peaceful with food and speakers, music, etc.
We’re not giving them a reason to start a war.
But we will fight back. This is our city, a former part of Mexico stolen by white America. We belong here.
I am completely appalled at what is happening to your city and know that many of us watch in horror at what you are going through. My anxiety rises everyday.
Please be as safe as possible and continue to smartly avoid causing any escalation to this extremely volatile situation.
Thank you, Traveller. We appreciate it.
On a completely different note: has anyone noticed that in the main picture with this article, the Orange Felon looks like a reptile??? His eyes…creepy
That was my thought. Just throw out the last 250+ years & go back to redcoats moving into the family home.
This is a military coup in the making. Treating the armed forces in this manner is debasing.
An army marches on its stomach and well, Trump is itching for a civil war so he might actually get one.
His puppets are all over social media suggesting that.
Newsom has to have a Californian republic on the table – a referendum at least. Maybe something similar to Catalonia or even Scotland.
If LA is Trump’s testing ground, Trump will quickly destroy one of the world’s largest economies to pacify his ego.
They’re doing it so they can discredit him, take over his government and control the biggest economy in the world (ergo less money =. less power to resist the mandate of the current office of the president)
“If they spit, we hit” – spitting isn’t illegal. Deploying our military against Americans exercising their 1A rights is.
It’s time for the military and national guard to stand together and refuse to be his puppets.
I’m in Korea right now, and in November, the military refusing to enforce the last president’s attempt to declare martial law is the main thing that saved this country from their president becoming a dictator.
US, this is not a drill! It’s time. And I hope unhoused, unfed, poorly treated marines and national guards folks realize they don’t need to be abused this way.
Where are the folks who lost their mind over Colin Kaepernick kneeling for racial justice because he was disrespecting the military now? Their cult leader just threw these troops in there without any thought for their well being.
I think it’s been Cheeto’s intent all along to instigate a need for martial law and to have it all come to a head on the 14th when D.C. will be full of tanks and weaponry. His first coup failed; he’s determined his second attempt will succeed.
I was thinking the same thing, this situation in LA is a very convenient lead up to Saturday in DC. I feel sick.
It’s also pretty convenient leading up to the No Kings protests that are happening around the country on Saturday. He cannot stand dissent and will do anything to stop it, including using the US military as his own personal law enforcement; using it to suppress opposition like the authoritarian he is.
I agree he’ll do anything to stop dissent because he cannot handle it. Although if I’m not mistaken the No Kings protest date was deliberately chosen as a counter to his obnoxious parade, so completely inappropriate for a draft dodger. I hope people come out in force to those and stay away from his stupid display.
I thought I read that that was in Project 2025.
I really hope a lot of people followed the trend of reserving a ticket to this dictator parade with no intention of showing up (I did!). I hope that everyone goes to the peaceful protests in their own cities. I hope the good people of D.C. go out of town for the weekend like they do during any presidential inauguration and that they stay safe. I hope that D.C. is virtually empty this weekend and this evil orange H*tler wannabe doesn’t get what he wants.
As a Canadian I’m 99 per cent feeling sorry for everyone in the US but like, 1 per cent giggling?
Come invade us, bud. Just bring yourselves. The ground is warm.
Our whiny little b*tch of a “president”is having tall fencing put around the White House again before his big boy military parade. Says so much about my country that the piece of trash got back into office.
Maybe California would like to join Canada? Why not?
Another Canadian here – sure, we’ll take California!!
This is further proof that none of these people have any idea what they are doing when it comes to running a military and a military operation. Yes, Canada and Greenland can rest easy. The formerly greatest military on earth is currently being run by idiots, alcoholics, and incompetents. The effect on troop morale alone will be devastating.
And I’m sure these troops didn’t sign up to kill their own people. Sigh.
Among them there are certainly also admirers of the currently reigning king. So…
Maxine Waters addressed some National Guard people deployed in LA asking them to not turn their guns on non violent protesters.
It’s being said this is an old picture, not current and that none of this is real. Do we have confirmation this is a current picture? Just checking, because I do believe that knuckle headed, knuckle dragging idjit would do this. Also, since 2016 I’ve been saying he wants civil war. I was SO relieved when Biden won, so fearful he’d be tossed. But he was awesome and now, this. The checks and balances are not checking. Nor are they balancing. California, Canadians (well this one, for sure) stand with you. Might does not make one right.
It is real. I am near Disneyland right now. Military helicopters have been flying back and forth from Camp Penelton to LA yesterday evening and again in past few hours. Praying the Protests stay peaceful and the hooligans back off. The immigrant communities in LA are being terrorized. Families ripped apart. I am the granddaughter of immigrants: Mexican and Irish. I have blood relatives who voted for this. And a little nephew caught in the middle. His mother is technically undocumented but deportation has been delayed indefinitely. 14 years in US. Her check in date is next week. Our family is like thousands who have been trying for over a decade to get her papers. This administration is beyond cruel.
The man sends hundreds to push against a peaceful protest in hopes to kickstart a bit of violence so it can create the environment in a democratic state to enforce martial law. The fascist transparency and yet his muppets see it so different. Where is the home of the free now?
Yes! So. Very. Obvious. And California is doing great! Stay strong, Angelenos!
This is straight out of Putin’s playbook — stage a ‘provocation’ and send an overreaction to clamp down on the truth and broadcast your propaganda — he didn’t send ICE to Bakersfield or Stockton because we need “those” immigrants or we don’t eat. He is straight up picking a fight with the Governor and perpetuating the “blue state” myth.
We don’t see ICE all over Florida where migrants are rebuilding the state following the hurricanes.
He’s picking off the powerful and influential. Harvard, California…so he can appear strong so long as others appear weak.
Reminds me of the Reichstag fire.
Yes, it is about the formalised possibility of persecuting and imprisoning political opponents. The Reichstag Fire Decree – as a result of the fire, which was allegedly committed by communists, or by the Nazis in order to have a reason – suspended the basic rights of the Weimar Republic and enabled the persecution of political dissidents.
But they are all missing one thing. The U.S. public isn’t the Russian public. Russians are used to living under an authoritarian regime. The U.S. isn’t. And the U.S. public is one of the most heavily armed group in the world. And no matter what Trump thinks. MAGA will not support him when his policies start hurting them. Trump was supposed to get in and get rid of all the people they hate. Not hurt them. But guess what. They are going to be the first hit when the tariffs actually start slowing down products being on the shelves. And they won’t like it. And will be just as angry at Trump as they were at Pence on Jan. 6th.
Not to mention, telling his base over and over that violence is justifed in overthrowing a Tyrant government and making sure no regulations on gun ownership. Yeah brilliant move , Mr Stable Genius .
So, you’d think that with a bit more time to plan, the thousands of soldiers — some in period dress — who will be in DC for the birthday boy’s parade on Saturday would be better housed and cared for. After all, the DC area has multiple military bases nearby and lots of hotels. Nope. The plan is to house them in federal office buildings, and give them MREs and daily stipends. I’m not sure what they plan to do about showers.
To make this even crazier, amidst the RIFs, most government workers who worked at home were forced to come back to work in their offices. Now, some of them have been told to work at home for a week — so the soldiers can use the office spaces for sleeping spaces.
tldr: This administration doesn’t value taking care of the actual people who form their much- vaunted military. It’s all about the show.
Hundreds of billions of dollars spent on defense and they can’t put them up in hotels. This is so corrupt.
How can you think about the troops when Pete Hegseth NEEDS a makeup studio?!
Wow, @Blithe. Did not know that. It tracks, though. trump & hegseth are nincompoops. when it comes time to vote, all those troops are going to remember this.
Of course Humpty didn’t prepare for the basic needs after he unnecessary deployment the Guard. He was only thinking about starting a civil war. Talking shit and treating to arrest California’s governor—note when Gavin’s said come arrest me their scary asses backed down.
It’s too bad Newsom sat down and had fireside chats with maga hate mongers—he would be the leading contender at the democratic presidential nominee.
Newsom is too Gilead for my taste but when the right wing becomes extremist, I suppose the centre has to shift right.
IDK I don’t think middle America is gonna go for the guy from CA. My in-laws live in IA, have never been to CA, but talk about the state like it’s some leftist loony haven for Hollywood elites. It’s bizarre.
I personally find Newsom arrogant and frustratingly centrist, often pandering to the Right. I also think he has decent leadership qualities. I don’t love his “Law & Order” schtick but I do believe he’s a man capable of empathy–you hear it when he discusses innocent immigrants getting rounded up by ICE.
I agree. CA would be a lodestone around his neck in a presidential election.
There is a continuous live stream from LA on CNBCTV18. So far there has been no violence, the stream has been running for 7 hours. From every side. The cops are polite, the protesters peaceful. Those handcuffed are being patiently checked on LAPD buses.
And yet Fox runs images of violence and destruction all day, keeping those viewers in their bubble, believing LA is burning to the ground and fueling their anger and outrage.
Just now I was reading a social post about this from my local news station in Chicago and the number of people who seem to think liberal cities have been dead/destroyed since 2020, that blue cities are some kind of war zones, is really alarming. I don’t know how we can ever get a huge chunk of this country to see the truth.
Live feeds from people’s windows would be a start. If they’re in LA, they can start broadcasting the protests and other acts of non-violence happening directly. If you get enough live feeds from ordinary citizens – and not only news stations – people may stop believing Murdoch‘s News.
I agree that it would be a great start. I saw a couple video yesterday of people showing how peaceful it was in LA. Sadly I tend to think the MAGAs would dismiss them as fake, as they do with anything that doesn’t fit with the propaganda they relentlessly consume. 🙁
As a Californian and resident of LA County, the President’s reaction is overblown and unnecessary. Local law enforcement had the crowds under control. Trump always wanted to invade blue cities and he HATES California, and he’s using the civil unrest as a pretext to do so. He has threatened our state many times as recently as last week when he said he wasn’t going to disburse Federal emergency funds and federal funds. Accordingly Governor Newsom threatened not to send Federal funds to the treasury. This pissing contest has been going on for years. Trump is being aided by mainstream media. Joy Reid (love her or hate her) broadcasted the real truth from LA. https://www.youtube.com/live/70Ute24Nl-k?si=veNsb60BFx3SKY7-
It breaks my heart to see them treated this way. I know and love so many young service members. That said, we lost Vietnam because the soldiers stopped believing in the war. I’d like to see our soldiers foreign and domestic embrace the Constitution and refuse to fight for a mad king.
According to Newsom, he talked with Trump an hour or so before he decided to deploy the national guard and it was a “collaborative” call in which Trump failed to mention that this was his intention. After their cordial phone call, Trump took to social media with his typical “Newscum” shit. It just goes to show you what a coward that shit stain is. This is all just theater and performance to him; all red meat to rile up his base. The truth is that Trump respects and admires Newsom because he can be a hardass and isn’t afraid to stand up to him. He also “looks the part” which is important in Trump’s superficial world.
I’ve always thought the reason Newsom was so effective during the pandemic and able to stand up to felon was because they’re basically old friends.
No, they’re not old friends!
Not political allies but Newsom has always traveled in billionaire circles and run with socialites, something he and felon have in common. It’s not coincidence he and junior were involved with the same woman.
Definitely. They also share some of the same qualities in that both are full of themselves and hot-headed; defensive and obstinate. But Newsom is also smart, empathetic, and capable of introspection. And good-looking lol.
Needless to say, none of those qualities apply to the orange goon.
@kitten 💯%.
This is ridiculous. Are these Guardsmen issued nothing? Do they have no supply or logistics branches? There are these things called sleeping bags, MREs, canteens with water filters, and backpacks! How hard would it be to have those basic items ready for each person? If you can supply a weapon, you can at least give them a sleeping bag and MREs, for F’s sake!!
When the appropriate process is followed–i.e., requested by the governor of the state–then yes, they is appropriate logistical planning. But this was a trump-hegseth deal–two dummies who understand nothing about the military, government, or anything outside themselves.
The last six months has clearly shown what a hateful, unserious, dumpster fire of a country the US has always been (with a few moments of actual progress and seriousness sprinkled throughout). Trump’s Big Ugly Bill will allocate over $100B, a 90% increase to deport, detain and house immigrants. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a country that invested that kind of money in its people? In its infrastructure? Housing? Food security? Education? Transportation?
The Republicans control all three branches of government, and the fourth estate and aren’t doing jack shit. Deportation is not an immigration policy! Whatever happened to reform? Oh that’s right, they are too busy prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy, worsening income inequality, damning another generation to poverty and this performative tough guy bullshit. And this can all traced back to white supremacy; it truly is a helluva of a drug.
The party of small government and leaving it up to the states is now trying to take over California?!? Facist pigs.
A chilean tourist was detained in NYC after they mistook her for a… protester? Undocumented inmigrant? They took her and left her 12 year old daughter alone, in the streets.
She was released with NO CHARGES (?????)
I will not be surprised if tourism decreases exponentially after this. I have a trip in late September fully paid and I don’t know what to do. I’ll be there with my nieces and nephews (toddlers and babies) Should we cancel?
It already has. Several countries have issued travel warnings for their citizens. We’ve become a dangerous country to visit–and not just for our gun violence–we now have masked Brown Shirts indiscriminately rounding up innocent people and shipping them off to foreign gulags.
They’re predicting a $12.5B loss in tourism money this year alone.
I’m in LA and I live about one mile from downtown. The helicopters are out of control, and they appear to be mostly LAPD and not news crews. LA is not “burning down.” The protests downtown have been pretty small and very quiet with the exception of people who were lighting Waymos on fire over the weekend. There is absolutely no need at all for a military presence here. You know what was a bigger deal for our city this past weekend? The Metro Expo line had its inaugural run from East LA to Santa Monica, which enables easy, affordable transportation for an entire workforce to get to the west side faster than on the bus. This BS from Trump is further proof that the Olympics need to be revoked from the United States — which really sucks, because LA could have really benefited from the infrastructure improvements hosting would have presumably brought about.