Police officers in riot gear stage outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 9, 2025 in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images/AFP
Los Angeles, United States: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that only his deployment of Marines and other soldiers to Los Angeles was preventing the city from "burning to the ground" as a result of protests against an immigration crackdown.
"If I didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming that the so-far sporadic street unrest posed the same threat as a recent wildfire that destroyed entire neighborhoods in the city.
The Republican's deployment of thousands of troops has sparked outrage among Democrats, with California Governor Gavin Newsom branding Trump "dictatorial."
